Crossroads
by Jyo-Chan
Summary: Even after years of separation, fate allowed their paths to cross once more. But what is there to gain when none remember what they lost? Axel x Roxas, Sora x Riku.
1. Of Morals

Even after years of separation, fate allowed their paths to cross once more. But what is there to gain when none can remember what they lost? Axel x Roxas, Sora x Riku.

Hahahha, this is take two of Aye me hearties, yo ho! -now renamed…- Mistakes are corrected, spelling and grammar and so on. But if you spot any still, let me know.

I've added more bits into it too, taken some out. Given it more of a smooth workout, and well, I'm pretty happy with it now.

And I had been so ashamed of it before. But now, not so much.

And yes, I know I should've revamped F.A.C first, but that thing is HUGE! So I decided to take small steps and work on reworking this one instead. No complaints no you hear?!

Anyways, enjoy this new and improved…wait, it's not really new since…ah well, you get me. TAKE TWO! ACTION! -and the camera starts rolling-

* * *

"Hey Jack!" a blue eyed, brunet boy shouted as he leaned over the side of a ship with black sails.

The man, perhaps one of the oldest of the crew, rolled his eyes, "It's _captain _Jack Sparrow to you!" he shouted to the boy with a hint of annoyance.

The boy scoffed and rolled his own eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever '_Captain'_ Jack. Go starboard; you're going a little too close to some rocks."

"…" he fell silent but complied either way all the while something like, "These little buggers don't know the meaning of respect." as he maneuvered through the rocks that laid about the island of Tortuga.

Sora hummed to himself before beginning the verse of a familiar song. "Drink up me hearties, yo ho." He began as he leaned over the port side of the ship.

A blond boy's ears perked up as he listened closely to this twin brother, older by a minute or so, sing the words of a song familiar to him and his family and pirates alike, "We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot."

Soon, the blond joined in, smiles and all, an arm slung over his brother's shoulder, "Drink up me hearties, yo ho!" they swung together side by side as they sang. "We extort, we pilfer, we filch, we sack-" they sang happily until the boat rocked and shook and shuddered and tossed them all about the deck.

"Ah bugger! You weren't looking out for the rocks again you little runts!" Jack shouted as he went about trying to make sure his beloved ship didn't hit anymore rocks.

"Sorry Jack." the blond named Roxas apologized with a hint of a smirk on his face.

Annoyance laced the man's voice, "It's Captain! _Captain_ Jack!"

"Yeah, whatever. Better set up ashore at the beach and check up on the damages." He shouted to Jack as he pointed to the beach that was sited behind the island of Tortuga.

"We wouldn't have had to set up ashore if it weren't for you nasty little buggers and your wailings!" he shouted as he turned the wheel of the ship and tried to watch out for anymore nearby rocks. Not that it helped any. His own crew weren't much of a help.

"Looks like the rum is gone again." Roxas whispered to Sora and snickered as he grabbed the ropes to haul himself up the sails to sit upon the crow's nest.

"So it would seem." He laughed along with his brother as he moved to one side of the ship to further watch for rocks and things alike.

They managed to bring the ship up to the shores, on the beach behind the island of Tortuga, and got off to check the damages dealt to Jack's beloved Black Pearl.

"No big deal." the blond started as he crossed his arms and stared up at the small gaping hole on the port side of the ship, "Nothing a couple of planks can't fix." Roxas spoke as he brought up an arm to scratch his neck.

"Oh, my beloved Pearl…They'll fix you up my love…" Jack spoke as he placed his cheek on the side of the boat and gently caressed it.

"_They?_" just who did he mean by they? There were only three on them on the bloody boat. "You mean us…?" Sora asked as he stared at the captain expectantly and pointed a finger to himself.

"Yes, you." Unaware that what the boy meant, or really…?

He pushed the subject aside as he grabbed the ropes and began to climb up back towards the deck.

"Wait, wait! What about you?" Roxas asked coarsely as he ran up to his so-called captain.

"Me? How nice of you to ask. I'll be up in my lodge, drinking my rum." he grinned as he continued to climb before he stopped, almost as though he changed his mind, then turned around to the two boys, "Tell me when you lads are done! Savvy." He spoke as he casually pulled himself back up on deck and walked away.

"Why that useless, good-for-nothing captain." Sora glared daggers at the last spot where he last saw a glimpse of his captain.

Roxas laughed as he grabbed the ropes and started to climb as well, "I'll be back with the supplies."

Sora snorted and waved Roxas off and mumbled something unpleasant about the Captain.

* * *

"Pass me another nail." the brunet spoke as he focused on holding up a plank while he reached out to his brother with his free hand.

Soon, a cool piece of metal landed upon the palm of the brunet's hand and they continued to hammer and adjust the planks according to the size of the hole in the ship.

Roxas sniffed nonchalantly as he measured the size of another plank to be cut down to the correct length.

"Hey." Sora started almost suddenly as he finished hammering away on the plank and turned to his brother.

The blond hummed as he started to saw away at the piece of wood, careful not to hurt himself or anybody else. Although he was half-tempted to throw the plank at his captain.

Unknowing to his little brother's inner turmoil, the brunet continued to speak, "Remember when we hid the last of Jack's rum?" he asked, unable to wipe off the smile that appeared on his face, "He went crazy over it!"

Roxas laughed, and almost accidentally sawed off his thumb. That would've hurt.

"He practically tore apart the ship trying to find it!" Roxas laughed harder and decided that trying to saw a plank in half while laughing your black, weasly guts out was a bad idea, so, he stopped, "Makes you wonder which one he loves more. The Black Pearl or his rum."

"Yeah." the blond finished in a sigh and shook his head before he went back to sawing down the plank. "Last one." he spoke as the spare piece of wood fell off the work space and landed in the sandy beaches.

"Come on, we better hurry up and finish this before Jack comes and yells at us."

"As if that'll do any good." he smirked as he exchanged the saw for a hammer and a nail and started to patch up the last of the hole.

Within minutes, their job was done and they commended themselves for a good job well done.

"Alright, we're done. Just in time before the tide comes in." Roxas commented as he looked down at the sand and noticed the sea coming up to greet them but stopped short of touching the heels of their shoes.

"Yup." he spoke as he started to take whatever equipment that he could take back up onto the ship, "Let's go see if our captain is still sober enough to maneuver out of the beach."

The blond scoffed as he rolled his eyes and picked up the last of the equipment, "I hardly doubt that he would be."

Sora held back a snort as he grabbed the ropes and prepared to haul himself back up on deck, "True. I can't remember a time of when he was ever sober." he smirked as he slowly, carefully, and with one hand only, began to pull himself up the ropes with Roxas close behind him.

As soon as they got back up on deck, with slight rope burns upon their palms and sweaty brows, they dropped whatever they were carrying onto the deck and proceeded towards the captain's quarters.

Upon entering the lodge, they spotted their beloved captain with his head on top of the study table and a half empty bottle of rum in his hand.

They laughed, loud enough to be heard by themselves, but not enough to be heard by Jack who continued to snooze away.

"Right where we thought he'd be." Roxas spoke as he walked up to the older man to pull and put away the alcoholic drink while the brunet decided to go outside for a breath of fresh away, away from the odd stench of rum that seem to float about the captain's cabin.

As he closed the doors behind him and went out onto the deck, he noticed a shiny trinket on the floor. Something he was sure wasn't there a bare second ago. "Not where you're supposed to be…" he spoke out as he bent over to pick it up. He assumed it must've dropped out of his knife holder only to vaguely realize that it wasn't his or anybody in the crew, "I don't even own you." He muttered as he turned the handle and closely examined it.

It was shiny, not at all like the knives they owned which was somewhat rusted with wear and use. Then, he heard something from behind him, a creak, a faint noise but his ears perked up at the suddenness of the sound. It didn't feel as though it belonged to either Jack, or his brother.

"Any particular reason why you're trespassing on our ship?" He asked as he turned his head to the source of the noise.

Out from the shadows beneath the stairs, a boy, no more than a year older than him perhaps, stepped into the light. His eyes, green with a tinge of blue stared back at the brunet boy that held onto his knife.

"I suppose this belongs to you?" Sora spoke as he held up the knife.

"Yes…" his smooth voice made Sora's breath hitch but he didn't show it.

The brunet narrowed his eyes a little as he scrutinized the knife in his hands while he kept a clear view of the silver haired boy in front of him, "So…why would a modest looking person like you, be doing on a ship not your own hm?"

"…" the other boy chose not to speak as he continued to stare at the blue-eyed brunet that held onto his knife.

"Not going to answer me?" he spoke as he kept on fingering the knife. "Pretty knife by the way. Doesn't seem to fit your appearance though."

"I didn't steal it if that's what you're implying."

"If you say so." He stared at the silver haired boy and smiled, "But, back to my previous question. What are you doing here?"

"I came to kill the person who sails this ship."

"By kill you mean, stab to death with a little knife?" he asked as he held up the weapon and waved it around.

"No…By kill I mean," he pulled out his sword from its sheath.

Sora made a slight face, "Oh…Didn't see that one coming." He spoke as he quickly pulled out his own sword, his other hand still holding onto the knife.

They both glared at one another, each other at swords' end.

"So tell me, what is it that we've done to harbor such _hate_ from you?" the brunet asked as he casually took a step to the side, which the other boy mimicked.

"You ruined my life."

"I did not." he protested. For one thing, he was still much to young to ruin _anybody's_ life. He hadn't killed anyone. At least, not on purpose. All he did was pillage and plunder. But nothing more.

"You _lot_ ruined me." he spat, his voice laced with anger, hate, and malice.

Sora remained cautious, careful not to make any sort of gestures or faces that would further provoke the silver haired boy, "Ok, fine, so _maybe_ some _other_ pirates did, but not me."

"It doesn't make a difference."

"Of course it does." he scoffed as he took another step, which was also mimicked, "There's a difference between having my hands bloodied, which they are not, and being innocent."

"And pirates, by far, are not innocent."

"So one bad deed from another pirate earns me complete and total blame?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed somewhat, "That's not fair."

His expressions darkened and his eyes sparkled with anger and hate, "Having my mother and my father _ripped_ away from me is _hardly_ fair."

Sora furrowed his eyebrows, his own expression mixed in with sadness and pity. Something which provoked the silver haired boy more.

"Don't." he warned, "Give me that look!" he shouted as he took one step towards the brunet and swung his sword down at the other.

The blow was blocked, another was parried, then he dodged and side-stepped to avoid damage.

"I'm sorry." the brunet tried to apologize, but it only served to make the other angrier than before.

"I don't need your meaningless words of apologies, they mean nothing." he spat as he raised his sword and brought it down on the brunet, only to miss, "They're worthless." he hissed as he thrust forward only to miss again and stab wood, "They won't bring back my parents."

Sora opened his mouth to speak again, but apologizing would probably only bring more trouble. Something which he wasn't all too willing to deal with by himself, "Ok, fine, so, after you kill me, and possibly my brother and my captain, then what?"

He seemed to have calmed down somewhat after that, his expression shifting back to a neutral state and his movements more controlled than before, "Then my first step towards revenge is complete." he spoke calmly as he eyed the other. The one who continued to hold onto his knife.

"And then?"

"I'll take this ship as my own, sail under your colors and kill anybody else like you." he smirked as he turned his arm and straightened his back further and raised his head to look down upon the brunet boy.

Sora fought back a snicker, "Oh?" but the smile appeared on his face. "Is that so?" he started as he took a step to the side, which was again mimicked by the other, "How do you plan on commandeering a ship by your lonesome? You'd need at _least_ two people, yourself included." shortly, Sora wished he could laugh at the look that the boy gave. A sudden realization that he could NOT operate the said boat by himself.

"Uh…" he started, his steady hand lowering down slightly.

At that point, Sora couldn't hold it in any longer and laughed. Loud and proud.

The silver haired boy, although as confused as he was, couldn't help but merely stare as he watched the brunet laugh. Perhaps at his stupidity, which greatly embarrassed him.

Then a crash was heard but nobody turned to acknowledge the presence of the other, "Hey, hey! What's all this racket going on out here?!" Roxas shouted as he stepped onto the deck before halting in his steps as he bore witness to a laughing Sora and a smoldering intruder, both with swords in hand. "Hey…Did I miss something here?" he asked, mainly to himself as he got ready to pull out his own weapon.

The brunet suddenly spotted the blond and stopped laughing momentarily, "Hey Roxas. This guy," the brunet laughed again before trying to continue, "This guy says he wants to kill us all and then take over the Black Pearl by himself!" he laughed again, harder than before.

Roxas stared, and wondered which part was the funny bit, "Err…I don't see how that's funny…" he spoke as he kept a close eye on the silver haired boy who eyes were now on him. The blond tightened the grip he had around his sword.

"Don't you get it?! You can't sail a ship by yourself! And he! And he said that he'll," he couldn't help but laugh louder. Oblivious to the death glare that the silver haired boy gave him. Sure it was funny the first time, but no need to rub it in his face. "Oh my dear lord Neptune…have mercy on my poor stomach…" Sora fell to the ground clutching onto his stomach but still laughing, tears falling from his eyes due to the giggling fit.

Roxas rolled his eyes and proceeded over to the brunet boy, all the while keeping a very careful watch out on the intruder, and kicked him gently on his sides. "Alright, come off it."

"But it's so FUNNY!" he laughed harder, more tears falling from his eyes.

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes and drew his sword. "What other business do you have here on our ship?" he asked, his eyes narrowed at the silver haired boy.

"As I've said before, I've come to settle my reprisal."

"So you've come to kill us because of something we probably didn't do. Tell me, what makes you think you'll succeed?" He listened to the dying laughter of his brother.

"I have the determination to go through with this." he answered without missing a beat as he turned his wrist slightly and his grip tight, "I want to kill the whole of your breed! Your kind of people don't deserve to walk on this earth."

Roxas smirked, "Funny that, we don't actually _walk_ on the land. We _sail_ the seas more like. _Savvy_."

The silver haired boy's eyes narrowed slightly, angered by the wittiness of the other.

Slowly, the brunet boy's laughter ended in a sigh and he proceeded to get back up to stand on his own two feet, although a tad bit unsteadily.

"Feeling better, brother…?" the blonde asked as he turned his head just a little, not once taking his eyes off the silver haired boy before him.

"Yes, somewhat better." He was no longer clutching his tummy, but he did proceed to wipe off the tears that blinded his vision considerably. "Why don't you go and check up on our dear captain, aye?" he asked as he swung his sword around then held it straight and firm.

"But-" the blond abruptly turned to Sora, shock written all over his face.

"No worries dear brother. I can handle him." he smiled, an air of confidence surrounding him.

"Whatever you say…" he spoke as he stepped to the side, his grip on the handle of his weapon still firm and unsheathed, then turned to leave reluctantly, his eyes fixed on the silver haired intruder.

Sora raised his sword, steadily and pointed it to the other. He waited until the door to the cabin was closed before he chose to speak again, his voice calm and steady as well as neutral and filled with authority, "So, this quest you've set out to do, how intent are you on finishing it?"

"Until I've rid the world of every last one of your kind." he replied in a firm voice.

The brunet winced, as though a little pained, except not really, "Oh, that's a bit of a problem then."

The platinum haired boy stared back with a hint of uncertainty, "Why is that?"

"Mainly because you won't get a chance to kill me, my brother or my captain."

"Your over-confidence in yourself will be your downfall." he spoke as he lunged forward in an attempt to stab the other, but failed.

"It's because I fight for my brother and I fight for the people I care about that I refuse to just stand there and willingly let death claim me. Not when I have people to fight for."

The silver haired boy smirked, "I like you."

Sora suddenly blushed, caught off guard by the off-handed comment that the other made but kept his guard up, "What?"

"See, if I had a family," the boy started to explain as he took a step to the side which was in turn, mimicked by the brunet, "I'd do the exact same thing. I'd protect them with all that I have. Except that I don't and I have nothing to fight or live for. But the concept of revenge gave me a sense of purpose," he paused, eyes strayed for just a moment, his voice hinted with a sort of emotion which Sora could've sworn was regret, "And that is the only reason now, of why I live in this godforsaken earth!" he shouted as he took another lunge forward and sunk the tip of his blade into the side of the deck.

"I apologize for your loss, really, I'm sorry. But _I _was not the one who so cruelly took your parents away."

"What does it matter?" he spat as he harshly pulled his sword out and pointed it back to the other, "You're all the same."

"No!" Sora cried out, "We're not all the same! Some of us have morals!"

"As if pirates have any sort of decency to have morals." he scoffed, voice filled with disbelief, "That's the one thing none of you have!" he shouted as he brought his sword down again only to be parried once more. He was growing impatient and frustrated. This was proving much harder than he had previously anticipated.

"You think we're different; you and I. But that's not true. We're the same."

The silver haired boy let out a frustrated cry, as though he was being tipped over the edge, "We're _not_ the same!" he shouted as he lost sight of his goal and fought without a purpose. All he wanted was to make the other shut up.

"You're not the only one to have lost parents!" Sora cried out as he gave himself enough distance between him and the other, "You're not the only one having to deal with loss of loved ones!"

The intruder heaved, his breath ragged, his eyes seeing nothing but red, red, red as he swung his sword down with as much force as he could possibly muster, only to miss again, "At least you have someone left!" he shouted, his voice strained and tired, his body heaving with uneven breaths, "It's not _fair_!"

Sora looked at the tormented boy sadly, his hold on his weapon faltering slightly. He lost the will to fight someone who was as broken and lost as he used to be, "What's your name?"

"None of your business." he spat out as he readied himself for another attack but held his ground.

The brunet frowned, just slightly, "We're not all as bad as you think. I'm just a kid." he started, the hand that had been holding onto the sword so high and proud, was slowly coming down, "What makes you think I know how to kill a person?" he asked, but never expecting an answer, "Let alone a mother and a father who has a child that needs them?"

The boy growled, not liking the way the conversation was suddenly turning around, "Shut up."

"I've never killed anyone before." he continued, careful to be cautious with his words, "And personally, I don't want to." he finished in a slight shrug, "I just hope that you can see that we're not as heartless as you make us out to be."

The silver haired boy made no movement. His breathing calmed, his posture was straight, and filled with pride, his eyes no longer seeing red, "I hate people like you." he stated out of the blue.

"Oh? I could've sworn you said you liked me before." he smirked as he crossed his arms, his weapon swinging leisurely from a curved finger.

The boy scoffed, "You make me think. Too much. And it always makes me lose sight of what I want."

"Which is? And don't tell me that rubbish about killing all of us. It's impossible."

"Shut up." he spoke, although not with as much disdain as it held before, "I just want to kill the man who killed my parents. The captain and his damned crew."

"Then kill the man who killed your parents. It's not Jack for sure, he's gutless when it comes down to killing people who don't deserve it." he shrugged, happy that his captain was sleeping and didn't hear Sora call him gutless. "But. Taking away one life doesn't resurrect the dead."

"I know that." he spoke softly, his determination faltering a considerable amount. "…I know that." he repeated.

Sora watched the other boy, who so closely reminded him of himself when he was much younger, trying to make sense of the world and what he did wrong to deserve having his parents be taken away from him. He didn't understand. He never understood. Both he and Roxas had been so lost. Wandering the blood-stained streets, littered with dead people left and right. They had been so confused, and lost, and so hopeless. Until they found Jack, and found themselves something else to live for, and a new life.

"What's your name?" the brunet asked again.

The boy made no move to acknowledge that he even heard him speak. And a part of Sora wondered if the stranger was mulling over the words he had spoken and was reconsidering his purpose in life. At least, that was what Sora was hoping for.

"I'll tell you." the silver haired boy answered suddenly.

"Really?"

"As soon as you win."

"Huh?" he didn't get a chance to show his confusion when suddenly, a sword was brought down on him and he was forced to go back into action.

What about everything he had said just now? Did it not get into the boy's head? Why were they still fighting? Was it even for the same reason anymore?

"What are you doing?!" Sora shouted as he parried one attack and dodged another.

The boy didn't answer as he swung down his sword, one hit harder than the last, his steps faster than before.

"Why are we still fighting?!" the brunet shouted, not once making a move to attack back. Only doing hid best to avoid any hits towards him, "Hey!"

The silver haired boy frowned, not appreciating the fact that the brunet was taking him so lightly and wasn't doing a thing to fight back. All he was doing was going on the defensive. But _why_. Why, why, why! Why was this boy, this _pirate_, so different from the others? Why did this one have to have a heart? Why did he have to end up meeting _this_ one first of all the pirates that are sailing the seven seas? Why?!

"Why?!"

"Why what?!" Sora shouted back as he crouched down to dodge a blow that could've very well sliced off his head and rolled off to the side.

Before another move should be made, the ship rocked violently, and the both of them swayed. Sora remained rooted to the floor on all fours while the silver haired boy struggled to stay upright, only to end up slipping when another violent wave hit the side of the ship and made his head collide painfully with the side railings.

"Bugger." Sora cursed as he watched the boy groan painfully before falling very still. He cursed again when the shipped rocked one more time and the cabin doors burst open to reveal a disheveled blond, "Roxas!"

Blue eyes widened in shock, and suddenly, the blond panicked, "You killed him!"

"I did not _kill_ him!" he shouted, his voice cracking just a bit, "He tripped and fainted." he reasoned as he got up from the floor and grabbed onto the side rails.

Trying to get a ship out from the beach was always a hard thing to do. What with all the tossing and turning.

Relief was written all over Roxas' face, and it was evident in his sigh too, "And here I thought my brother was a murderer."

"Whatever. Just help me get him to the cell blocks." He spoke as he tucked away his sword and the knife and picked up the other sword that belonged to the stranger before he took hold of the hands of the boy.

"What?! Can't we just throw him overboard? You know?! Walk the plank!"

Sora rolled his eyes, "Technically, he _can't_ walk the plank because he's fainted! Now grab his legs so we can put him in the cells." he wasn't quite in the mood to single-handedly drag a boy who was almost twice as heavy as him down a flight of stairs.

"Why are we keeping him there?" Roxas demanded as he walked over to his brother.

"Who knows when he will come about? Besides, he might prove to be quite useful." He smirked. "Now grab those legs and help me haul him downstairs!"

Reluctantly, the blond gave in, but not without a whole heap of convincing from his twin brother, older by a minute or so, before he grabbed the strange silver haired boy's leg and proceeded down the stairs into the hold.

Once the task of heaving the boy to the cells and stripping him of his weapons was completed, Roxas proceeded to steer the ship off the island to their original destination of Tortuga while Sora locked up the gate and spun the key around his finger. He watched the boy as he slept, his silver hair covering his eyes.

His heart wrenched in a familiar emotion.

Regret.

* * *

Ayyyyeeee!! This chapter was long! So unlike the others now that I think about it, but oh well, I don't feel like cutting it off and/or extending the other chapters. So, too bad!! So sad!! HAHAHHAHAH!!

No seriously…I'm sorry…


	2. Of Dreams

Even after years of separation, fate allowed their paths to cross once more. But what is there to gain when none can remember what they lost? Axel x Roxas, Sora x Riku.

* * *

_A hand reached out to him and ushered him into the room, "Mother!"_

"_Hush, Riku, you must hide. There's no time." the woman whispered urgently as she ushered the small boy away and beneath the bed, "Stay here Riku, and no matter what, do not leave."_

"_But mother, what will happen now?" the boy asked, scared and curious and confused._

_She gazed into the boy's aquamarine eyes with sadness, "Only God will know." she spoke softly as she ran her fingers through the boy's hair lovingly. "Stay safe."_

"_Wait, mother-"_

_Gunshots echoed through the air, followed by screams and shouts as the sound of wood splintering punctured the air._

"_Mother!"_

"_Hush Riku." her voice wavered as she pushed the boy down and out of sight just as the door was broken down and gunshots were fired._

_The boy froze, unsure of what to do. He didn't know what to do, but even if he knew, he was frozen into place._

_He couldn't breathe._

"_Don't touch me!!" a voice screamed out._

_Aquamarine eyes watched with fear as feet scuffled across the floor, kicking rubble and bits of fallen wood around. He watched the steps that belonged to his mother, vigilant and full of fight._

_But it was unfair._

_There were three of them, four now, and they were all against her._

"_DON'T TOUCH--"_

_Riku jolted slightly against the sound that echoed throughout the still air, he stopped breathing._

_His mother stopped moving. Something dripped onto the floor, staining it a dark, deep color._

_Then deep laughter was heard, his mother fell to the floor, her eyes staring right into her son's. Cold, unmoving, and dead._

"…_Mother…" his lips moved, but no sound escaped._

_He barely paid any attention as he continued to stare with fright into the eyes of his mother, the sound of scuffling feet and cheer withdrawing._

_He was alone._

"_Mother…?" he asked quietly, fearfully, as he slowly reached out for his mother's hand, "Mother?"_

_His fingers touched his mother's, getting colder and colder and lifeless._

"…_Mother." his voice shook, tears filled his eyes._

_This can't be happening._

_He did the first thing he thought was right. Get help, from whoever he could._

_Quickly, he shuffled his way out from beneath the bed and ran, "FATHER!!" he cried out as he pushed his way out of what was left of the broken down door and froze. His voice lost._

_There, laid left for the world to see atop of the dining table, bled his father with the same cold, lifeless eyes._

"…_No…"_

_Riku fell to his knees onto the dirtied floor. Woodchips scattered everywhere, blood stains speckled the floor, nothing but destruction and loss left behind._

_He wanted to scream, but couldn't find his voice._

_He was alone…_

* * *

'Where am I?' aquamarine eyes slowly opened as consciousness returned to him. His head hurt, he felt sick and the world felt as though it was spinning around. Or just rocking back and forth a lot. He groaned as he tried to sit himself up on the nearby wall.

"Looks like you've awoken." a familiar voice sounded from within the shadows, "Don't get sick though, I hate mopping up down here."

His head jolted up, eyes searching around in the darkness for the source of the noise. He heard a jingling of keys and looked straight ahead and spotted eyes of a familiar blue. "Pirate." he hissed.

"I thought we had been on good terms before, what now?" the brunet grinned as he stepped forward, out of the shadows and crouched down in front of the cell. Close enough to be almost better acquainted, but far enough to be out of reach. A key glinted in the sunlight as it spun around the boy's finger.

The silver haired boy sneered, "Release me."

"Not until you cool down."

Aquamarine eyes narrowed and it took almost every bit of his self restraint not to scream and shout and demand for release, "Let. Me. Go."

"No."

"And why not?" he asked as he stood up from the ground and stared down at the brunet boy that held the key to his freedom.

"Because you never gave me your name." he merely stated with another smile.

"What?"

Sora chuckled to himself before rising up to his full height, but to his disappointment, he was still shorter by a few inches but chose not to let it deter him. "It's just a name," he looked up at the ceiling before looking back into the boy's eyes. "Telling me won't kill you."

The silver haired boy felt himself growing hot with anger as he glared back at the boy behind the cell gates.

Seeing that he probably wasn't going to get anything out of the stranger any time soon, Sora sighed and shook his head, looking mighty disappointed, "And here I thought we were getting along so well before." He sighed again before turning to leave.

* * *

The silver haired boy slumped himself against the wall after half an hour of trying to think of a way to escape and came up with none. There was nothing in the cell that could help him remotely, and anything he might be able to use is out of arm's reach.

He scowled at his own misfortune as he looked up at the ceiling before returning his gaze to the hardwood floor. The ship continued to rock, and it made him feel more nauseated than before.

He closed his eyes and listened to the waves that crashed upon the sides of the ship. He could hear footsteps from up above and muffled sounds of people talking. He listened to them talking, intent on finding out any valuable information that could help him, but it was much too incoherent to be made any sense of. Soon, the footsteps became distant, then the sound of something being opened was heard and the footsteps grew louder.

He heard the door to his dungeon being opened before steps approached his cell.

The same boy from before came down and crouched in front of his prison once again, with keys jingling in his hands, out of reach. "So, I suppose we should try again with the introductions?" he spoke with a smile.

"No." he answered firmly.

"Oh come, come. No need to be angry now."

The other retorted with a glare. He was being held against his will, obviously he had a right to be angry.

Sora sighed before standing up, looking around idly while twirling the key around his finger. "I'd thought that, you know, since we'll be traveling together, we should get to know ourselves a bit more. Aye, savvy?"

The brunet looked over to the boy who refused to speak, then sighed and gave in, "Alright then, why don't I go first." He bent down to eye level with the other boy before speaking again. "My name is Sora. How about you?" he asked with another grin.

It was stupid how a boy could smile so much. Even when the odds were against him.

The platinum boy refused to introduce himself as he continued to glare at the boy he now knows as Sora. The happiness faded from the boy after the silence he received.

With a sigh, Sora decided to get up and leave. Why try if he wasn't going to get anything in return? But as soon as his fingers curled around the handle of the door that led to the way back up to the deck, the silver haired boy decided to give his name, although he chose not to look at the brunet boy. "…Riku."

The brunet paused, almost unsure if he heard right or not. His hearing wasn't one of the best in the world. That much about himself, he knew.

Sora smiled as he turned towards the boy, "I knew you'd warm up to me." He spoke as he crouched back down in front of the cell, closer than what he considered was safe, "What did you say your name was again?"

Feeling a little aggravated, he answered through clenched teeth. "It's Riku."

Sora grinned, "Now, that wasn't so hard was it?"

Riku merely scoffed.

From the topside of things, Sora could hear his drunken captain shout out, "Anchors away!" before it was answered with, "Aye, aye captain!" from his brother.

That, he decided, was his cue to leave. "Looks like we've made berth on Tortuga. We would take you along with us, but I think it'll be best for you to stay and rest your little head, aye?" he smirked before he left out of the door and with the keys to the cell tucked away in his pocket.

This left Riku with a look of shock on his face as he watched Sora leave the cells to go up to the surface. He let out an aggravated sigh before getting up and kicking the cell gate. A vain attempt to get out.

* * *

"Sora, is it right for you to keep him down there and not tell the captain about it?" the blond spoke to his brother in a hushed tone as they walked casually behind their captain.

"There's no need for our captain to know dear brother." He smiled, happy as can be.

Roxas rolled his eyes, "Of course there is."

"Now, now. What the captain doesn't know won't hurt him."

"That's what you said last time, and we almost lost the Black Pearl because of that." He argued.

"Hey! How was I supposed to know it was a navy ship?! It looked more like a merchant's ship!" he retorted. He wasn't used to using the crow's nest yet. It was more Roxas' job.

"A merchant's ship doesn't look that grand!" he pointed out, and it was so true too.

"Now what are you two babbling about, aye?" the two brothers halted their movement and all conversation as they came face to face with their captain.

"Nothing captain." Sora smiled.

"Really now?" Jack quirked up an eyebrow as he eyed the brunet suspiciously who just called him captain.

"Yes captain." Roxas replied before looking behind the captain to see a figure approach them. "Seems like you've got company Jack."

He rolled his eyes, there goes the 'captain' streak, "It's _captain_! Captain Jack to you." He said, forgetting what he meant to ask earlier before turning around to see a lady with red hair move towards them. "Ah, Ruby!"

"'ello Jack." She greeted before giving him a hard slap on the face.

Shocked and confused, he wasn't sure he deserved that. He and Ruby had gotten along so _swimmingly_ before too, "Don't think I deserve that…" he spoke before turning around again, this time to see another lady with brunette hair. "Oh, Matilda!" he greeted happily.

"Who was she?" she asked sweetly.

"What?" he started, and was immediately slapped again before she stormed off as well.

The older man coughed, a little red in the face but chose not to let it deter him, "Ok, I _may_ have deserved that…" he moved his hand over to his reddening cheeks and started to walk off into the pub. Along they way, he was regularly assaulted with more slaps from various other girls.

Sora and Roxas laughed from behind as they watched their captain walk off in his drunken ways, a slap in the face by way of toll. They both followed him into the bar, towards the far end where the pig pen was located and where a man slept.

As Jack walked passed a well close to the pig pen, he grabbed a bucket of cold water and the brothers did the same.

The man considered whether he should oh-so rudely wake the man when he decided, bugger it, and threw his bucketful onto the man, and some nearby pigs, which abruptly woke him up. A line of swear words erupting from his mouth before realizing who it was he was swearing to, "Oh, Jack. Didn't expect to see you again so soon. You should know its bad luck to wake a man when he's sleeping." and then promptly remembered, "Didn't I tell you that before?"

"Ah, then I'll propose to you this time what I proposed to you last time." Jack spoke as he discarded the bucket off to the side. "But how can the sleeping man drink the drink that the man who did the waking bought him while at the same time listen to the proposition from the man who did the waking that bought the sleeping man a drink?" he asked as he offered a hand to help the other man get up from the mud.

Confused and uncertain what the hell Jack just said, he decided to just go along with it. "Right...what's this here proposition you've been spouting about then?" He asked as he took up the hand that was offered to him. And as soon as Jack took a step back, both Sora and Roxas threw their buckets of water to the man.

"Blast, I'm already awake!"

"Oh, that was for the smell." Roxas spoke as Sora laughed. Because the man smelled like pigs. And it was awful.

* * *

"So, Jack. What are you proposing _this_ time?" the man known as Gibbs asked as he took a sip from his rum.

"Aye, I'm going after the loot that's stashed away in the Isla De Muerta. Again." he spoke in hush-hush terms, but the news was still enough to make Gibbs choke on his drink.

"Don't tell me you're after the cursed treasure…Again." he asked warily.

"Me? Of course not! I'm just after the treasure that's hidden there. I care not for cursed Aztec gold my friend." Immortality didn't tempt him one bit.

The man sighed, "Good, good. For a moment there I thought you'd gone crazy."

"Mate…" he smiled, "When am I _never_ crazy?" he smiled at his friend who returned his statement with a laugh.

* * *

"Off we go to the Isla De Muerta." Jack announced as he positioned himself in front of the steering.

"But Jack!" Gibbs spoke as he looked around the deck and up at the crow's nest.

"It's _CAPTAIN!_ Bloody hell, how many times do I have to say this?" he asked rhetorically as he rolled his eyes.

"Alright, _captain_. What about the other crew?"

"We don't need another crew."

"But we can't sail to the Isla De Muerta by ourselves." he protested and watched as the brunet boy prepared to raise the right anchor by himself.

Jack smiled as he stepped away from the steering, "Ah mate. We're not _by_ ourselves. We've got Sora and Roxas along with us."

As if two children would help much, "But that's only four people captain! Surely we could do with at least two or three more." he reasoned and watched as the blond kept a watch out in the far distance.

Jack sighed, again, "Fine, fine. Get off and find us a couple more crew mates. Couldn't you have told us before we made way?"

"Sorry captain, didn't realize it was just us four. But I'm sure there're a couple of other people as crazy as you on this island."

"Surely." he sniffed as he stared at the brunet boy who was making his way to pull the next anchor up, "Oi, Zola!"

"It's SORA!"

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever, release the anchors again, we've got some more waiting to do."

"Oh bugger." all that wasted energy.

* * *

Within an hour, Gibbs gathered a small line of four people that stood on the port, ready to journey through the treacherous seas. To Jack, they didn't look like much.

There was a man with a missing leg going by the name of Shammy. A man with an eye patch calling himself Xigbar. And a familiar man that Jack already knew as Cotton with his trusty parrot.

"Ah Mr. Cotton!" he smiled, "Lovely to see you again." The said man returned a smile and the parrot squawked. "Land ahoy! Land ahoy!"

"We figured that meant 'Nice to see you too.'" Gibbs explained after seeing the confused look on Jack's face.

"Ah…" he walked to the last person, who was rather short, and who wore an overly large hat. "Hm..?" he pondered out loud as he slipped the hat off to reveal a blonde, "Ah! Larxene!!" he jumped away but not before getting slapped on the face. Sora and Roxas laughed from the deck.

"You stole my boat!" she screamed.

"I didn't steal it! I borrowed it without permission! Totally different meaning love." he tried to reason.

"You owe me a boat!" she screeched and slapped him again, "So I'm going to take over _your_ boat." she spoke as she pointed at the ship that was docked.

"Firstly, it's a ship!" he cried out as he gingerly rubbed his cheeks, "And secondly, I'm not handing you my beloved!!"

"Well, you're going to give me a boat sooner or later." she poked him square on the chest, "And to make sure I receive one, I'll be going along with you." She smirked before she stomped over towards the ship and the other crew men followed right behind her.

"Jack! It's awful bad luck to bring a lady aboard." Gibbs warned as he looked at the woman who was now getting on the ship.

"Well, why did you bring her along?" he hissed as he rubbed his much abused cheeks.

"Er, well. You see…" he tried to explain.

"Never mind dear Gibbs. It'll be even more bad luck to not have her. Hell hath no wrath like a woman's scorn..." Jack shuddered and climbed aboard his ship as well, followed by Gibbs.

Once Jack positioned himself in front of the steering again, he called out the orders. "Raise the anchors!"

"Aye, aye captain!" Mr. Cotton along with Shammy pulled up the left anchor while Xigbar and Gibbs pulled up the right.

"Release the sails!" Jack shouted to the two brothers who gave him a weird look and spotted the problem. "Oh right. Never mind!!" he shouted back after realizing that there was no point in the task seeing as the sails were never raised or tied up in the first place. "Just a habit of mine!"

Sora and Roxas rolled their eyes as they stared up at the sails which bore countless rips and holes in them. They really should get them changed…

"Alright then, off we go!" he steered away from the port and took out his trusty compass to ensure that he was going in the right direction, making a few adjustments here and there before putting it away.

Xigbar made his way up to the crows' nest while Larxene followed, prompting to sit on the wooden railings.

Mr. Cotton decided to monitor the right side of the deck along with Shammy, while Roxas and Sora looked out for the left side. Gibbs decided to stick near the captain and discuss various things among things.

"This is going to be one heck of an adventure, aye?" Roxas smiled as he looked over to his brother.

"Brother, this will be the adventure of a life-time. I can smell it in the wind." He spoke as he swung an arm over his brother's shoulder.

"Either that or you stink." Roxas joked and they both laughed after Sora delivered a playful punch to the blonde. "By the way, don't you want to check up on that boy?" the blond asked as he turned to stare at his brother.

The smile left as soon as it came as soon as he realized what he had forgotten. "Oh bugger!" Or rather…Who.

* * *

Ahhh Larxene, you funny, funny woman.


	3. To Breathe

Even after years of separation, fate allowed their paths to cross once more. But what is there to gain when none can remember what they lost? Axel x Roxas, Sora x Riku.

* * *

Riku's head bolted up when he heard what seemed to be a stampede heading his way and couldn't help but wince at the horrible noise. It was loud, obnoxious, and the swaying of the ship didn't help to usher the headache away. Upon hearing something collapse right in front of his dungeon, he looked up with narrowed eyes at the disturber of his 'peace'.

'Sora.' He quirked up an eyebrow at the panting brunet and wondered just what was happening up on the deck. Trouble perhaps?

"You're alive!" he gasped for air after seeing that Riku was still well and breathing. His heart raced as relief filled his system, "Bugger, I thought you died."

The silver haired boy scowled as he wondered why the brunet thought he was dead. "You didn't lock me up here that long."

"Oh, I know but," he took another shallow breath. "-with things going as such a fast pace. I just forgot about you." He laughed.

"How nice to hear…" he spoke with a sneer, his voice oozing with sarcasm as he looked away from the brunet.

"Oh come now. Don't be angry that I left you behind." He laughed a bit more and sat in front of the cell gates and grabbed onto the cool metal, but the silver haired boy refused to look at him. "You're not angry, are you?" he asked cautiously with a tilt of his head.

"Course I'm not angry at the person who decided to lock me away in this hell-hole." he retorted as he crossed his arms and looked elsewhere.

The brunet drew his eyebrows together as he stared at the boy, feeling discouraged, a little hurt for reasons unknown. Maybe he was just feeling sad because their so-called budding friendship was suddenly coming to a halt, in the middle of the Dead Sea.

"…I'll just leave you alone for the moment. I'll come back and check on you again later, alright?" Sora spoke as he tried to gauge any sort of reaction from the other, but received none.

Feeling somewhat defeated, he merely stood from his spot and began to walk away, back up towards the deck, but not before getting one last look at the other who suddenly seemed so cold and heartless.

* * *

Sora sighed as he slouched over the railings and stared at the waves that crashed on the ship. He watched as droplets of the sea sprayed up the sides with each impact made upon it. It was pretty in a way, distracting in another.

Roxas ignored his brother who had been sighing away since he came up to deck after checking up on the boy, although with that constant sighing and the somewhat sudden switch in mood, he couldn't help but wonder just what happened down there.

The brunet sighed again, shifting his eyes over to look at the horizon. The sun looked as though it was about to set soon. Maybe some more hours, give or take a couple here or there. After observing the skies a little more, watched as the clouds began to tinge with color, he sighed once more, which prompted Roxas to strike up a conversation, "Ok, brother. You've been sighing away ever since you came up on deck." he brought up casually, "Tell me what's wrong or else I'll toss you overboard if you sighed again." because it was getting on his nerves.

Sora pouted as he looked up at his brother. "Nothing's wrong." He lied as he shifted his eyes over to the horizon again.

And the blond could tell. Sora was never much of a good liar, "You're lying, Sora."

Rather than dignify that accusation with an answer, he merely sighed again, making the blonds' eye twitch with anger, "What did he say to you?" he asked as he leaned over the sides, careful not to accidentally fall over into the ocean.

"Nothing." he reasoned, and it was sort of half true.

"Lying again."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Not."

"Ok that's it!" he grabbed Sora's shoulder and pushed him onto the deck, forcing him down and then swiftly started to tickle him.

The brunet laughed while trying to overpower his brother and push him off, but the tickling sensation was too much and all he could muster up doing was trying to smack the other boy away all the while kicking wildly. "Roxas! Stop! No!" he laughed harder. "Come on! No!" he tried harder this time to push his brother off. "Get off Roxas!" he yelled and pushed him off as hard as he could. "Bugger it, Roxas. Don't you know when to quit?" Sora yelled as he got up and stormed off to his usual spot, the place where he would go and think to himself.

Roxas watched him walk off angrily and turned around to see the other crew mates staring at them, "What." He spat as he got up and followed Sora. The blond walked over to the stairs and ducked down to see beneath it. There in the corner he saw the brunet, head buried behind his hands on his knees.

"Sora." He looked at his brother who made no movements to acknowledge his presence, "Sora." Again, no response. Roxas sighed and gingerly walked over to the brunet. "Look. I know I may have overdone it a little. But I only wanted you to loosen up a bit. You were sighing away and it was sucking away my happiness."

Sora grunted his apology but continued to stay in his little huddle.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" his question was answered with a grunt and a shake of the head. "Alright then. It's your problem." He got up and started to move away but Sora held him back.

"Wait…"

Roxas sighed and slowly sat back down by his brother. "So, are you willing to tell me yet?" It took a while before Sora decided to lift his head up to look at his blonde counterpart. He huffed , pouted his lips and turned the other way, mumbling something that Roxas couldn't hear.

"What? I'm sorry, I don't speak gibberish." He spoke as he leaned closer, a hand by his ear.

"I said!" he shouted as he glared at his brother, before turning away and speaking softly. "I'm just…a little confused."

"Confused? Of?"

"Not sure actually."

The blond watched his brother carefully, all the while trying to figure out what got Sora into this sort of mood. Just what did he and that boy in the dungeon talk about? "Ok…maybe it will eventually come to you." he spoke with a slight shrug. "Maybe you just need to think over it."

"Probably." he sighed again, feeling lost in his head, as he peeked through the gap and stared out into the sea again.

Whatever was bothering the brunet, the blond was unsure if he should just leave it be or try and figure it out. After all, two heads are better than one. But then again, some things are better left alone for the person to solve themselves. It was quite a predicament, but Roxas figured that if Sora needed his help, he would always be willing to help out.

"Right then." the blond started as he got up and brushed himself off, "I guess I should leave you be?" he asked as he turned to his brother.

He shook his head and smiled, not his brightest and best, but it was a smile none-the-less, "No, I'm fine now."

Roxas returned the smile with one of his own as he extended a hand to his brother, "Come on Sora. Let's head back to our posts."

"Thanks for listening to me Roxas." he spoke as he reached out and held onto the hand before he was hoisted back up to his feet.

"No problem Sora. You know you can always count on me, mate."

"And you can expect the same from me too, brother."

They both laughed, happy they got over their little tiff quickly and Sora wasn't all that gloomy anymore. And despite the slight emotion he felt tugging in his heart that he wasn't very certain of, Sora decided that it was merely a passing phase of his life and chose to let it pass in its own time.

"I'm just gonna check on Riku ok?" Sora spoke as he went over to the door that led to the cells.

It took a moment for the blond to realize and remember just who and what this Riku was, but eventually, he nodded his head, "Alright, but if anything goes wrong, just yell for me." The blond spoke as he walked back to the port side of the boat.

"Aye!" he yelled out, giving a short wave before disappearing into the cell downstairs.

* * *

The swaying of the ship made Riku feel horrible. He felt sick and wanted more than anything to be back on land again. Every once in a while, he would stand, hoping that it would help keep him balanced and give his aching head a rest, but it only proved to make things worse as he didn't really have his 'sea-legs' yet. So he always ended up swaying along with the boat, unable to balance himself and stand still.

Holding onto the bars for support, he wondered briefly if he was going to end up getting sick on the ship. He felt nauseous, and when the boat gave a very sudden lurch, he felt something overcome him that made his knees shake and his whole body doubled over.

He heard the door that led to the cells open up, he almost thought it to be a hallucination. But when footsteps approached his dungeon, the grip he had on the bars tightened and the feeling of seasickness settled for a few mere moments.

The brunet came tumbling down more or less louder than the last time. The moment blue eyes met his green, the brunet unwittingly got his foot caught up in a stray piece of rope and fell down the last two steps which resulted in him landing in a very peculiar position with his feet sticking up in the air.

And if Riku hadn't felt so sick, he probably would've cracked a smirk.

Sora groaned as he rubbed his chin, "Ouch…" he kicked away the rope that tangled his feet up and looked up to see the silver haired boy standing and staring down at him. The brunet swallowed whatever pride he had left and got up slowly all the while brushing himself off, "Hey." He greeted almost shyly with an air of embarrassment.

The silver haired boy acknowledged the brunet boy with a nod but nothing more. The feeling of seasickness was back, and it was worse than before.

Sora smiled, happy that the silver haired boy actually responded to his greeting, "How are you feeling?" he asked as he stood barely an inch away from the other.

The ship lurched again and Riku almost gave into the motion, "Sick." he replied as he brought a hand up to his mouth, a part of him trying to will away the horrible feeling in his stomach.

"Well I suppose. Is this your first time on a ship?" he asked curiously as he stared at the other who looked almost a little green.

Riku nodded as he released the hold he had on the bars and moved back to the wall, this was getting too much for him.

"Why don't we go up for fresh air, aye?" he spoke as he moved over to the gates, pulled out the keys that belonged to it and unlocked it.

Upon hearing the gears click and turn within the lock, adrenaline took over his body in replacement. Riku took advantage of this release and careless move from his opponent as he rushed over to the brunet and pushed him onto the wall.

Caught off guard by the silver haired boy, Sora didn't know what happened until his back met the unforgiving wall of the ship and an arm, not his own, was pushed onto his neck.

"That was your mistake." Riku hissed. "Just because we talked doesn't make us allies."

The brunet almost laughed, "Mate, you're in the middle of the sea. Even if you took down every last one of us, there's no way you could commandeer this ship by yourself." he pointed out and wondered if the other ever thought through his ideas before acting out on them.

Once again, the silver haired boy scolded himself for making a stupid move. He hadn't thought about it, didn't think this would happen. Probably didn't even think he'd get this far. But hesitantly, he released his hold on the brunet boy.

As Riku took a step back, Sora brushed himself off and continued to speak; "Besides, even if you _did_ somehow manage to commandeer the Black Pearl by yourself, you wouldn't know how to navigate through the waters and back to the island of Tortuga." He brought up as he straightened his clothes out while staring at the other.

The harsh truth came down upon Riku and he scolded himself once again for his lack of judgment. He glared at Sora, thinking that despite his looks, he was much smarter that what Riku gave him credit for.

Must be the sea air that was impairing his judgment. Had they been on land, maybe the situation would've been different.

"So, mate. How's about we head on up to the deck for some fresh air, hm?" Sora smiled, looking as though the incident never happened at all between them as he began his walk back up on deck.

Feeling unsure of what to do, but definitely not wanting to stay in the dank, dark dungeons, he followed after the brunet, very much feeling like an idiot in the whole world.

A flight of stairs was climbed, a door was opened and they found themselves in another part of the ship beneath the deck. But after another flight of stairs was ascended and a door was opened, flight flooded his vision and Riku lost sight of everything.

Unsure of where to step or even where to go, blindly, he reached out for something to keep him balance, He wasn't particularly fond of falling down a flight of stairs, and when his fingers grazed upon a rough fabric, he kept hold and didn't let go.

The brunet turned around and spotted the helpless silver haired boy and almost laughed.

And this was the boy that wanted to take revenge on them? It seemed like a distant, ridiculous memory.

"Here," he reached out and took hold of Riku's sleeve, "Follow me." not that the other had much of a choice to begin with.

Upon stepping out onto the decks, the salty sea air and sprays of water greeted them at full force. The swaying wasn't as bad up here as it was down there but it still didn't help much to quell the uneasiness within the silver haired boy's stomach.

That is, until his vision slowly returned to him and he was left to awe the scenery. Everywhere he looked, he saw the blue, green seas, clouds of white floating in skies of blue.

This was something he had never, not once in his life, ever seen before, and it left him speechless.

"Welcome to our humble ship, the Black Pearl." the brunet spoke from behind him before their shoulders brushed and Sora walked over to a blond standing by the port side. Words were whispered to each other before a point of the finger was directed to him which caused quite a commotion from the other, "What the! You let him out?!" the blond shouted, looking as though he was on the verge of attacking, or having a heart attack.

"He's harmless." Sora reasoned, gesturing to the weapons strapped to his belt which two of them belonged to the silver haired boy.

"I don't _care_ if he's harmless, he tried to--" he tried to speak, but a hand over him mouth told him to be quiet.

"Shh!! Don't tell the whole world." the brunet whispered harshly to the blond.

"Oi! Who's that over there!!" Jack shouted out as he peered over his steering and down upon them. "I don't remember him!"

"Just another crew mate, Jack." Sora lied as he let go of his brother and waved at the said person. "Isn't that right?" he looked over to Riku.

The older man scowled, "It's captain! Captain Jack!!" he shouted out with frustration.

"Whatever you say Jack." Sora laughed and proceeded to ignore their captain but was unable to ignore the glare that was directed to him from his brother, "What?"

"Don't _what_ me, you know _what_." he spoke roughly as he nudged his head towards the silver haired boy, "Why did you let him out."

Sora heaved a sigh and beckoned for Riku to come closer, "Look, he was feeling a little queasy in the dungeon, so I let him out, ok?"

Unable to see the logic behind his brother's motives, the blond merely scowled and watched the silver haired boy from the corner of his eye all the while muttering crude curses under his breath.

When Riku failed to come forward, and the blond didn't want to move from his spot, the brunet took it upon himself to stand between the two of them, "Riku, this is my brother, Roxas. Roxas, this is Riku, be nice." Sora introduced the both of them and watched their reaction. He was getting horrible, murderous vibes from his brother, but the silver haired boy remained neutral.

Rather than grace the blond boy with words, Riku merely nodded his head in a sort of greeting which was also mimicked by the boy named Roxas.

"Alright then, now that the introductions are over, let's-" Sora was cut short by hysterical bellowing from the crows' nest.

"Ship on the port side! Pirate ship on the port side!!" Xigbar shouted out as he waved frantically from the crows' nest. "We're all going to DIE!!" he cried out and proceeded to wail somewhat dramatically but was slapped on the face by Larxene. "Pull yourself together man!"

Turning his attention to the port side, everybody's heart sank into the pit of their stomachs. And only one thing was on their mind and lips, "Oh bugger…"

* * *

Ahhhahhahah, Larxene, you funny, funny, funny woman.

-looks at the time- Opps, I forgot to go to sleep. Lawls. Gooodnight!


	4. Adrenaline

Even after years of separation, fate allowed their paths to cross once more. But what is there to gain when none can remember what they lost? Axel x Roxas, Sora x Riku.

* * *

All eyes were fixed on the ship some nautical miles away from them. It wouldn't be long before they collided and fought for their lives and their loot.

They've done this before, seen this many times, but still, they couldn't help but feel adrenaline course through their body and a small bit of fear eat away at their very souls.

But if they wanted to live, they'd have to fight.

"Captain! What are our orders?" Gibbs yelled out, the first one to come into action, as he watched the foreign ship sail closer to the Black Pearl, cannons on the ready and sails going at full speed.

"Er…" Jack looked baffled. Unsure of what to do, or where to go, how to go about the situation.

"Jack!" The brunet yelled out as he turned to his captain. They needed to act, and act now if they wanted to go through this.

"Oh bugger."

"Saying that won't save our skins!" Roxas bellowed as his heart raced, his eyes widened in mixture of fear and bravado.

"But I feel better saying it!" Jack shouted back as he tried to think of a way out of their predicament. Then he came to a conclusion, "I know! What if they're just sailing past?" he reasoned as he made a swift hand motion.

"Jack, as a pirate yourself, would you just _sail_ past and not attack?" Gibbs asked as he mimicked his hand motion.

The man paused, "Well, I've never really thought of that." He spoke as he placed a hand on his chin. Gibbs gave an aggravated sigh as he looked up to see Xigbar trying to pace around his crows' nest with Larxene trying to calm him down.

"Jack?"

The said person looked towards where the voice was and spotted the blond on the stairway up to the quarter deck, a little panicked and miffed, "It's _captain!_" the man called out purely out of habit.

Roxas frowned, "Well you're not being a very good captain if you can't even remotely help us get out of this situation."

"Oh bugger." he cursed again as he looked up to where the two on the mast were. "You two!" he shouted out which earned himself one and a half pair of eyes looking down on him. "Get yourselves down here and make yourselves useful!"

"Aye, aye captain!" the man with the eye-patch shouted out as he made his way down the mast followed closely by Larxene.

"Hey Jack! I thought there weren't anymore real pirates around here." Sora shouted out as he leaned over the port side railings, feeling anticipation and waves of adrenaline course through him.

The man chuckled as he took hold of the steering and kept it steady, "Silly boy. Where there's treasure, there's bound to be other pirates like us who hunt down the treasure."

"Alright then. Tell us what to do!" Roxas yelled back, his posture on the ready for some action.

The older man shifted his gaze over to the other crew mates, an instinctual part of him taking over, "Shammy! Cotton! Xigbar! Larxene! Ready the cannons!" he yelled out as he continued to steer the ship. The said crew members made haste and ran down to the cannon chambers, disappearing into the darkness. "You boys! Make ready the guns!!" Sora and Roxas went into action, pulling up the ropes that were tied to the panels that hid the cannon holes.

Aquamarine eyes watched with anxiety as orders were carried out on the deck. People moves left and right and he was left standing in the middle of it all unsure of what to do or how to help, "Wait! What am I suppose to do?!" Riku shouted, starting to feel as though this was a very bad idea.

"Just do what we do! Grab the ropes and pull!" Sora shouted as he went over to pull the ropes on the other side. After pulling up one more, he turned to see Riku with his feet completely stuck to the same spot, "Well don't just stand there! Go!" He shouted as he dashed over to the next rope and took hold of it.

Upon getting captured in this god-forsaken ship, Riku didn't think he'd end up enrolling as one of their lackeys. But if he wanted to live, he'd have to abide by their rules and follow orders, much to his displeasure.

So with roughly gathered determination, he set himself to work and did as he was told.

"Gibbs! Go and help them ready the deck cannons!" Jack shouted as he continued to steer the ship. The said man ran down the stairs and quickly made his way over to Roxas who was struggling to push the cannon in the right position. It was far too much of a job for a small boy like himself.

"May the lord have mercy on us." Jack spoke to himself as he watched the other ship sail closer towards them. "Alright men! And woman…Ready yourselves for battle!!" he shouted. "Don't forget the guns and your swords!"

Riku made a move to grab his weapon, only to end up grabbing thin air, and remembered, "Sora! I need my sword!" he shouted when he realized that he was completely unarmed and stared at the weapons strapped to the waist of the brunet.

"Bugger!" Sora swore and ran off. "Hold your position! I'll be right back!"

"Sora!" he called out, unsure of why the brunet didn't just hand his weapons over. Why did Sora have to run back downstairs?!

Within seconds, the brunet was back and shoved the cutlass, the knife and another weapon into the arms of the silver haired boy, "Here, you'll need these."

"I don't own this!" Riku shouted as he held out the gun.

"Doesn't matter! You'll need it!"

"But I don't even know how to use it!"

Sora heaved with aggravation and took out his own pistol. "Just aim, pull back this here, and shoot!"

Riku quickly nodded, feeling as though he got the most of it. 'How hard can it be?' he thought to himself as he watched Sora stuff the pistol to his strap around his waist and held onto another pistol for safe keeping.

The ship was silent with anxiety; nothing was heard except the crashing of the waves, the howling wind and the steering of the wheel. The other ship, the one with the black sails and a pirate flag, was drawing closer and closer to the Black Pearl.

"Jack! I thought the Black Pearl was the fastest ship on the Caribbean!" Roxas shouted out as he held onto his rifle, not taking his eyes off the opposing vessel while Gibbs held onto a light to fire the cannons with.

"Well apparently not!" Jack shouted back.

An explosion was heard and all heads ducked down to avoid impact, "Oh bugger!" Jack shouted and heard a splattering crash from the waters. Apparently, their aim sucked. "That was much too close."

"We don't have enough crew members, Jack!" Gibbs shouted as he watched the ship sail closer and widened his eyes as the amount of people on board the other ship.

"And whose fault is that?! This will just have to make do." He steered the ship into a position fit for battle. "Fire!!"

The cannons down below exploded in unison, which sent the ship into a rocking motion. The opposing ship was no more than a hundred yards away. They could hear the roars and shouts from the enemy as well as the gunshots and the cannon fire.

The silver haired boy made haste as he picked up a cannonball from the stack nearby and loaded it into the cannon that was just fired by Gibbs, "Good work son, we'll make a pirate out of you yet." the man spoke as he lit the cannon and covered his ears.

Riku scowled, but despite the fact that he hated their kind, he had no choice but to abide to their rules and way of living if he wanted to live in the end.

There was a blast; an eruption of smoke, a hit was made onto his ship and vice versa. Wood splintered in all directions. Part of the deck was suddenly missing.

Sora abandoned his rifle, they were useless in long range combat and chose to light the cannons. He covered his hears, listened for an explosion before he opened his eyes again, "Roxas!" he shouted out as he opened up the hatch and watched as his brother heaved in another cannon ball.

Jack, being the person that he was and is, never liked it if something damaged his beloved Black Pearl. "Stop blowing holes in my ship!!" he steered his ship over to the starboard side, after realizing that his ship had sustained damage. He only hoped the holes weren't low enough down the hull to make them sink.

With every cannon shot towards the Black Pearl, the crew made a dive for cover and returned fire, but how much they could last for like this, they weren't sure. It seemed that defeat was eminent.

"Sora, we're not gonna make it." the blond spoke as he shoved in another cannon despite the feeling of fear and dread inside of him.

"Don't say that." the brunet hissed as he lit the cannon and ducked for cover again.

An explosion was heard, the sound of wood splintering followed and the ship rocked dangerously back and forth. They were losing.

"We've got leaks, sir! We can't go on for much longer!" a man, whose name suddenly escaped Jack, from below shouted out as he limped up the stairs into the captain's view.

"Oh no. The Black Pearl is a lot older than I thought she would be." He looked over his shoulder to the enemy vessel, they were gaining speed. At this rate, they were going to lose everything, "Ready yourselves men! Shove every enemy that jumps onto our ship overboard. We're withdrawing."

More rounds of cannon were fired onto their ship, some missed, while others made impact. The ship rocked, sending debris to slide to and fro, unused cannonballs fell from their stack and collided into each other.

Roxas, who had been readying his rifle to fire, suddenly cried out in pain when something heavy smashed onto the side of his boot which caused him to lose balance.

Upon hearing the cry that belonged to his brother, the brunet's heart lurched and he turned to see Roxas on the hardwood floor gripping onto his ankle, "Roxas!"

Another cannon crashed into their ship, they rocked from side to side, Sora held onto the railing that hadn't yet been blasted away and watched with horrified eyes as his brother tumbled on the deck.

Roxas tried to grab hold on something. Anything that would remotely help him, but soon, the blond found himself falling down and he felt cold.

"Roxas!!" the brunet shouted out as he crawled towards the deck where he watched his brother fall off from. He watched as his brother struggled to get up on the surface of the ocean. He watched as Roxas started to fall behind wide the rolling tide and sink in the distance, "ROXAS!!" he cried out and made a move to jump in but an arm held him back.

"This is suicide!!" someone shouted to him.

"No! Let me go! I need to save my brother!" he shouted as he struggled against the older boy's hold.

Riku refused to let go, "I can't let you do that!!" he didn't know why he cared. "This is suicide!" he argued back.

"But he's my brother! Roxas!!" Sora shouted, trying to fight off the silver haired boy. In the distance, the brunet could hear his name being called out and with each passing shout, it grew more and more distant. "Roxas!! ROXAS!!" Sora shouted out his name as he struggled in vain.

Jack saw the event unfold in his eyes and swore at himself for losing a crew member. "Bloody hell, Roxas…" He never wanted this.

* * *

Roxas spluttered as he tried to get back up to the surface of the waters, but with one leg rendered useless, it was much harder than one would've thought.

He tried to swim towards the Black Pearl, but his speed was nothing compared to that of a ship's. "SORA!!" he shouted out one more time before hearing a faint reply of his own name.

He watched as the ship sailed away, further from him. A part of him felt betrayed, but another part was relieved that they were fleeing. If he were in Jack's shoes, he'd rather lose one rather than all.

But it still didn't help the fact that he was left for the sharks to feed on.

Soon, a shadow loomed over him as he waded in the waters and he turned to see the hull of the enemy ship.

As he looked up, he could hear the sinister chuckles and menacing laughs from the crew members of the vessel. Without knowing what happened, or how it even happened, he found himself being hauled up as not-so-precious cargo.

Within seconds, he was then roughly thrown down onto the deck floor in front of a pair of black boots. A part of him told him not to look up and just stay still but when he Roxas heard the click of a pistol, his breath hitched and shouted the first thing that came into mind, "Parley!"

The crew grew silent, not a word was spoken, and before Roxas could breathe out a small sigh of relief, shuffles and footsteps were heard and drew closer to where he was.

"Parley you say?" a rough voice spoke as a man, possibly their captain, came into view.

"Yes." Roxas felt his voice waver as he staggered to his feet, his ankle where the cannonball hit throbbing and probably swollen.

The man had a disheveled look, rotting teeth, a cocky smile and even wore a hat with a feather on top of it.

"I'm reluctant to comply with your request. What can you offer us that we don't already have?" he asked and the crew that surrounded him snickered and smirked.

It was a good question, one which Roxas was unsure if he could answer. What _did_ he have to offer them so they could spare his life? Only a small piece of information which he had heard his captain speak of when the man was on a drunken rampage.

But he was uncertain if he should disclose such a secret. He wasn't even certain where it was. He had only been there just once.

"Hmmm?" the man hummed as his boot tapped onto the deck.

The blond looked around, a little pleased that they sustained some heavy damage too, but as their ship looked much newer than the Black Pearl, they didn't look as bad off.

"I…" he started, his voice stuck in his throat, a warning sound rising in his mind. Choose life, or swear to secrecy and die? "I…"

"Yes?"

'I'm too young to die…' and with the feeling of shame and guilt, he told them the secret, "I know where the Isla De Muerta is."

"What does an island mean to us?" he laughed, followed by the crew. How cliché…

"It's…" he paused, "Stocked with a chest of Aztec gold and treasure. Enough treasure to allow you to live a carefree life for the rest of your days." Roxas glared at the captain, covering up his fear with bravado, and made a tight fist to ward off the pain in his ankle.

"Ah, so you hold the bearings to the island filled with treasure, is that right?" the man asked slowly as he touched his chin in thought, as though a little unsure.

"Yes, and I'm not telling you anything unless you agree to what I ask for."

He chuckled, obviously amused by the spark the small blond showed, "Alright then. Name your terms." He humored the blond.

Feeling as though he was just being toyed around with, he pushed his pride away and went on with it, "Firstly, I want you to cease all conflict with the Black Pearl and leave them alone."

"Tis a hard thing to do." he brought up as the crew men sniggered, "But it'll be done. Anything else?"

"I'll lead you to the location but I won't give up the bearings to you." and immediately, he knew he was signing his soul away to the devil. And only until they were satisfied would they probably let him go for dead.

"Ah, we're not but humble pirates. How can we trust you to show us where the island is?"

"You're just going to have to trust me."

"Very well then. _Agreed_." He looked down at the blond boy who scowled back in return. "Welcome aboard the Bloody Baron." He smiled sinisterly and walked back towards the quarter deck.

"You named a ship after another pirate? How original." Roxas scoffed and muttered to himself and watched as the captain turned back to look down on him once again with a rotting smile.

"Ah boy, its things like that you say that makes me want you to walk the plank. But I'll let it go this time." He grinned deviously and walked away. "Boys! Show our new crew man around."

Before Roxas could react, two other men grabbed hold of each of Roxas' arm and opened a door to a dark room. They both threw him down the stairs, uncaring of the blodn sustained any injury on the way down, along with a bucket and a mop. "You first job is to clean up this here room!" the two men laughed and slammed the door shut, darkness filled the room.

Roxas groaned as he slowly got up, but the pain in his body and his leg became pronounced with each movement that he made. He couldn't see anything, not with his eyes not yet fully or partially adjusted to the dark, dank room.

He didn't know where he was, what he did, what he had done, why he did it or why he chose this path. But all at the same time, he knew exactly why he did all the things he had done.

He felt sore, after that fall he had just suffered, he felt dizzy, after wasting all his strength away on a losing battle, he felt tired, and wanted nothing more than just to find a corner and sleep for a while and dream of home. A home he never had.

As the ship swayed, his ankle still injured and not quite usable, he lost balance once again and found himself falling again. But rather than meet the cold, unforgiving floor, he felt something warm hold onto him and prevented his face from colliding with the ground.

He felt confused, "Huh?"

"Better watch your step 'round here." a voice spoke to him and helped bring him back to his one and a half feet.

As he turned his head to the source of the voice, a slight wave of dizziness passed over him, but he managed to shrug it away. Despite the fact that he was sure that he was probably looking straight at the speaker, he still saw nothing but darkness. Apparently, his eyes had yet to adjust to the new lighting, "Who's…there?" he called out as he took a cautious step backward until his back met with something metallic and warm.

'A cannon?' he thought to himself and continued to push himself away.

"You're new." the voice pointed out, "Who are you suppose to be?" he asked.

"I'm…Uh…" he started, unsure of how to finish or even continue.

"I assume that you're a prisoner held against your own will here? From that other ship I just fired at perhaps."

Anger flared within Roxas, and it was only now that he could only slightly see the blurry outline of the stranger.

That's right…he was in enemy territory. And the blond wanted to slap himself for forgetting so quickly.

"Just for the record," the other speaker continued, "Had I been given the choice, I would've shot the cannon at this here beam and send the ship crashing down into Davy Jones' locker." the voice spoke and a pat, pat of something wooden was heard.

Feeling somewhat confused by the tone the other spoke with, he couldn't help but wonder about the other with uncertainty. Just who was this person? Was this a trick? "What do you mean?" the blond asked as he turned his head slightly but kept his eyes on the outline of the figure not four steps away from him.

"I'm a part of this crew, but it wasn't by choice, mate."

Feeling something get stuck in his throat, the blond merely swallowed and choked out his next words, "What happened?" He didn't know why he was prodding on, but a part of him wanted to know while another part of him felt relieved that he wasn't the only one held against his will in this god-forsaken ship.

The red head sighed. "I use to sail under the command of another captain. But we were taken by surprise by this here ship."

"Then what happened?" Roxas asked, feeling more and more comforted that he wasn't the only one left to stand for themselves on enemy grounds.

"They forced me to join them. Either that or perish."

Roxas suddenly feared for his life, despite the fact that he knew that the captain wouldn't get rid of him anytime soon. "I see…" His eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness that surrounded him, although he was unsure that if he was hallucinating at the sight in front of him. No man that he had ever met, even once, had hair that color. So bright, so vibrant, full of fire.

"What happened to you? How did you end up here." the other asked, even though the answer should be obvious.

"Well…" the blond started and leaned back on the cannon, just for the sake of lifting some weight off from his injured ankle, "I guess…the same thing happened to me." he finished softly, and wondered how his brother was doing.

Was he safe? Was the ship still pursuing after the Black Pearl or did it choose a different route to go about?

"So, you're the only survivor?" he asked, hands on his hips.

Roxas blinked, once, twice, his eyes finally fully adjusted to their dark surroundings, and shook his head, "No, I negotiated with the captain and he agreed to stop his pursuit of my ship."

"Ah, I see. That's a smart move." the red head commented, "What did you give up in exchange for the freedom of your crew mates and captain." He asked curiously.

"I agreed to take them to a treasure island, basically."

The red head whistled, low and strong, "That's some bargain. Sounds like you've been had, mate."

"My brother is on that ship." the blond spoke up, his head lowering slightly, his eyes distant, "I'd do anything to make sure he lives." even seal a deal with the devil himself.

"Even at the expense of your own life…" he spoke softly, and found himself feeling sympathetic, yet relieved that he wasn't the only one stuck on the same boat.

At least now, the two of them, despite being total strangers, had some common ground.

* * *

Uh…-cough-


	5. Learning

Even after years of separation, fate allowed their paths to cross once more. But what is there to gain when none can remember what they lost? Axel x Roxas, Sora x Riku.

* * *

First, he felt nothing but the cold numb.

It's been hours, hours since their escape. But why didn't he feel better?

And then he started to feel. Fear, dread, guilt, hate. It all filled his system and he wanted nothing more than to scream. Scream with all his might, with all his heart, with everything he had.

His brother was gone, stolen, taken away from him, left for dead. Sora wanted Roxas back, safe and sound, not a scratch on him.

"No, no, no, no, no." his heart panicked, sadness pricked it with every passing beat. He trembled with adrenaline, shock. Never in his life had he felt so useless.

He had already lost his parents to pirates. And now, he had lost his brother too. Why was the world so unfair?

"No, no, Roxas, no…" he fell to his knees, stared at the empty spot of where he saw his brother in the waters mere moments ago.

"Sora."

First, it was his mother, then his father, and now Roxas, his one and only family left.

Is this what Riku felt like? No wonder he wanted revenge. If this was what Sora felt like now, what must've it been like when Riku was alone? Left to fend for himself in the world.

"Roxas…" he cried, tears of misery, sadness, guilt, ache shook his body. Never in his life had he felt so pathetic. "God I hate you…"

"…Sora."

A hand touched his shoulder, warm and comforting, but it wasn't the hand of his brother's, and the comforting gesture went by ignored.

"I'm sorry…"

* * *

He didn't know why, but he felt somewhat comfortable when he talked with the red head, maybe it was because they held no grudges against each other and the fact that the both of them were stuck in the same predicament. More or less the same.

Roxas sat on top of one of the cannons, his fingers kneading away at his sore ankle. It wasn't broken, merely swollen, but nothing a couple days' worth of rest couldn't heal.

"How long have you been here for?" the blond asked, curious and dreading.

The red head shrugged, "I've lost track of time. It could be months, it could be years…" he sighed as he shifted position and crossed his legs as he sat on the cannons opposite the blond.

Roxas felt something inside of him sink. Was he going to end up here as long as the red head if not twice as long.

"Why do you bother staying?" Roxas asked, forgetting to massage his injury.

"Why you ask? I ask myself that question all the time."

Unsure of what else to say, the blond merely looked away and down at the splintering mess on the floor, "Did they leave us here to clean up this mess?" he asked and stared at the stacks of cannonballs nearby and barrels of gunpowder by the walls.

"Well, most of the mess is from me actually." he reasoned as he brought up a hand to scratch the back of his head, "It's what I do."

"Make a mess?" the blond scoffed.

The red head chuckled, "No, I'm the cannon boy, in charge of explosives and gunpowder and what not." He smirked, as though he was mighty proud of himself.

"Just by yourself?" he asked as he continued to gaze around the dark room and spotted the pieces of rope which were attached to the cannons that were strewn about the floor. It seemed impossible that one person would be able to fire off four individual cannons by themselves without some sort of help.

The red head nodded, "They agreed to let me live after hearing about my expertise." He patted the cannon before turning his head to the blond. "In other words, I'm indispensable."

Roxas lowered his head slightly to look at the floor that was covered in pieces of wood, scratches from the cannons and soot. Words were suddenly stuck in his throat, and it seemed that the other somehow managed to read his mind.

"Unlike you, once they get to the location of the treasure, it's probable they'll send you down to meet Davy Jones." he spoke, just to be cruelly blunt.

Roxas tightened his fists, not quite liking the honesty from the red head. "I know."

"And if you take too long or lead them astray, it'll be the plank."

"I know." He growled out, wishing the other would just shut up and stop reminding him of his numbered days and death sentence.

"You're in a lose-lose situation, mate."

"I know!" he shouted out, his insides trembling with anger and anxiety. Why did the red head have to be so…blunt with his words? It's not like he needs a constant reminder.

"Yet…you're still willing to go through all this just to make sure your brother lives." He gazed at the boy, the boy who was literally and figuratively stuck on the same boat as him.

Roxas kept his eyes fixed on the hardwood floor, the pain in his ankle and body momentarily forgotten as his fists tightened and loosened with every passing moment.

The red head sighed before stood and took a step towards the blond, "How about we introduce ourselves, hm?" he smirked as he watched the features of the boy in front of him change from one emotion to another, "The name's Axel. Commit it to memory." He raised two fingers and made a salute.

"…My name is Roxas."

"Roxas" the red head repeated as he brought up a hand to his chin. "Interesting name."

"Yours too." the blond retorted with a smirk.

"Alright then, Roxas. Why don't we get ourselves started on this here deck that needs swabbing, aye?" Axel smirked as he grabbed hold of the bucket and mop and proceeded to the other side of the room, "Don't work yourself too hard. I see you've hurt yourself on the way here." the red head brought up as he proceeded down the stairs to who know where and then returned with two buckets full of sea water and two mops.

* * *

After half an hour of cleaning the floor that doesn't seem to get any cleaner, the blond felt like quitting. Scowling at the floor, he quickly dunked the mop in the bucket of water, that was increasing growing murkier and murkier with each and every dunk, before returning to mop it. 'Even our floors are cleaner than this. Although I'm not sure if that's true anymore…' he stopped, his features growing neutral. 'I wonder how Sora is doing…'

Was he ok? Was he safe? Was he even missed?

His thoughts were shortly interrupted by the crash of the door being kicked open which also caused him to jump out of his skin.

Then a voice boomed, "Oi, Axel! Got some provisions for you!" a man with dirty blond hair shouted out as he came stomping down the stairs with a tray of food.

"Hey, hey!" a familiar voice shouted out from somewhere behind the blond, "Do you have to kick the door open all the time?" Axel asked as he came into view with an equally dirty, if not more, mop in hand.

"I don't have any hands, therefore the only way for me to open the door is to kick it. Aye, savvy?" the stranger spoke with a smirk and a raised eyebrow as he set the tray down on top of a barrel of what seemed to be gunpowder. Just as he was about to start talking again, his eyes fell upon the blond who was holding onto the broom as a makeshift weapon, "Aye? Who's this?" he asked with a pointed finger.

"This?" the red head walked towards the blond and swung an arm over his shoulders. "This, my friend, is our new crew mate." He introduced as he gave the blond a small pat on the back before a small shove, "Roxas, this is Demyx. Demyx, this is Roxas. Demyx is in charge of music and provisions." he spoke as he walked over to the tray and picked up an apple, examined it closely before taking a big bite out of it.

"Music?" Roxas asked, turning his head to look over at the red head before snapping his eyes back to the dirty haired blond.

"Aye, music!" Demyx smiled as he sat himself on the stairs, his exposed toes wiggling about.

"He's the one that always gets the crew singing. Lifts up the morbid mood and doing a good job with it to, aye Demyx?" he smirked as he gave the said person a light nudge with his foot.

And here Roxas had always thought that the rest of the crew were just mutinous and greedy bastards that wanted nothing more than the pleasure of women and gold, and lots of it.

"Yarrrr!" the dirty haired blond smiled, happy with himself. "Oh! Why don't I gather up the rest of the crew, aye?" he stood up quickly and ran up the stairs before Roxas could protest. He didn't want to meet the other crew members, he was afraid of them. When he first met them, all they did was snicker and smile sinisterly as if they had a motive to kill him while he slept. He shuddered, 'I don't think I'll be sleeping tonight.'

"Ah, worry not Roxas." the red head spoke, as though sensing the anxiety in the blond, "There's a couple decent mateys here on this god-forsaken ship." Axel finished off the rest of his apple and threw it on the tray that was left sitting atop the barrel.

"Oh really? Like who?" Roxas tried to joke, his hold still firm on the handle of the mop.

"You'll see soon enough."

And shortly, they heard the countless steps coming towards the cannon deck. Roxas could hear the dirty haired blond talking animatedly as they approached the room. The door opened and shadows started to fill the room as three other crew members joined them.

"See, see? This is the blond that we saw earlier today!" Demyx pointed as he walked closer to Roxas.

"Aye, so it would seem…" a man with dreadlocks spoke as he looked up and down the blond. Suddenly, Roxas felt very uncomfortable.

"Why don't we all introduce ourselves aye?" Demyx spoke happily as he moved towards Axel, waiting for the others to address themselves but was greeting with silence.

He rolled his eyes when it was made obvious no one was keen on making the first move, "Ok, fine. Roxas, this is Xaldin," he gestured over to the man in dreadlocks with overly large sideburns before gesturing to the man with brownish, pink hair. "And this is Marluxia."

Then they heard a loud cough that came from one other member which the dirty haired blond had forgotten, "Oh right, right. And this is Luxord."

The said person merely rolled his eyes as Demyx laughed.

"…Nice to meet you." Roxas spoke with a quiet but firm voice. He felt intimidated, but he didn't want to make it so obvious even though he was practically a small fish surrounded in an ocean full of sharks.

"Alright then." the dirty haired blond yawned as he moved past the newly introduced members of the ship and made way towards the exit, "Since the captain had decided to weigh anchor and lift the canvas. It's time to turn in for the night." he spoke as he took one step on the stairs before he paused and turned around to looked at them with the face of a trickster. "But I be just lying to you, savvy." He smirked as he left the room.

"What's he on about?" Roxas whispered to the red head.

"Time for our nightly sporting." Axel grinned and gave Roxas a firm pat on the back.

During the time that Demyx was gone, Axel, with the aid of Xladin, went over and pulled over a cannon out to the middle of the room while Marluxia went to behind the stairs and took out a square plank of wood. Luxord went ahead to bring up six barrels in which to sit upon while Roxas stood out of the way.

About five minutes later, Demyx returned with six small glasses and three bottles of rum. One half empty, the two others untouched.

The crew sat themselves on top of the barrels and was about to start whatever their 'nightly sporting' was when the red head spotted an empty seat and looked behind him to see the blond standing away and holding himself together in what seemed to be a very strange world.

He smiled, a friendly gesture, and then patted the empty seat beside him, encouraging Roxas to join in. "Come now, nothing to be afraid of." Axel grinned.

Demyx quickly laid out the glasses and filled them with rum while Luxord took out a small pack of what seemed to be cards from the pocket of his ragged trousers and dealt them out until he got to Roxas, in which he paused, "You in or out?" he asked as he fingered a card.

Before Roxas could respond, Demyx answered for him. "Of course he's in! I took out six bloody glasses." He spoke as he accidentally tipped a bit of the rum onto the plank. "Oh bugger, what a waste."

And before Roxas could even protest, the older blond of the table shrugged and continued dealing out the cards, "Alright then." Luxord grinned as he skillfully dealt the cards with a quick flick of the wrist until five cards were in front of each person, "The game's poker. Surely you've heard of it."

"I have." Roxas replied and remembered the nights in Tortuga where Jack almost lost their ship to a stupid bet.

"Aye…but have you played it?" the one with the brownish, pink hair asked.

"No I haven't." he answered truthfully as he stared down at his own small stack of cards, somewhat unsure of what to do, yet, feeling a little confident.

"Ah, tis a sad thing to hear." Luxord feigned sorrow, but quickly adapted to the new situation, "First round is to help our new friend here get acquainted with the game. Agreed?"

"Aye." They all spoke simultaneously.

It was then that Axel picked up his cards for him and showed it to him. The three of diamonds looked a little pathetic, but he was one card off from making a very small straight.

"One card off from a straight." the red head commented, "But I doubt you'd be that lucky." he smirked as he used his other hand and picked up his own stack and exposed it for the whole table to see.

"Now, the rankings of the game." Demyx started as he picked up his cards and carelessly threw them on the table, "And it's unfortunate that I end up with good cards on this stupid practice round…" he pouted, finding this to be completely unfair towards him.

It took them what seemed like ten minutes of constant talking and explaining of the rankings before Roxas felt ready to play. But even then, when he eyed the bottles of rum and the glasses that were filled to the brim with them, he felt uncomfortable.

"Got the gist of it yet?" Luxord asked as he began to gather up the dealt cards to shuffle them together again.

The blond hesitated in a nod, but after thinking through everything that he managed to soak up, he decided that he was probably as ready as he was going to be.

The red head sighed, "Never mind. Nothing will help better than experience." he chuckled as the older blond dealt out five new cards to each player. "But the rules-"

"Aye the rules!!" the dirty haired blond cried out as he sat up straight and picked up a bottle of rum.

The man with the brownish, pink hair continued, "The loser of the round, whether they folded or lost to another person, must drink up. The winner of the round gets to choose who drinks."

"Try not to lose too much, mate." Axel whispered to the blond as he picked up his cards and looked down at it.

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows, a little confused at the rules, "But…If you lose, because you fold, and you lose because somebody else's cards defeated yours…doesn't that mean you drink up twice?" he asked curiously.

The man with the dreadlocks chuckled and spoke for the first time since their introduction, "Ah, tis a smart one, this one is."

"So you might end up drinking three times in a row." Demyx explained with a grin.

And Roxas felt his chances of leaving this first night, in what seemed to be enemy territory, with his mind intact waver to nothingness.

"Aye, savvy." the red head smirked as he placed his cards face down, "Do you wish to withdraw?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

The blond looked down at the cards in front of him, then to the bottles of rum off to the side and the small glasses of highly intoxicating alcohol that littered on the makeshift table and made up his mind.

A part of him wanted to test out his new found knowledge, and well, one day he might even get to play this game with Jack and make the man relinquish his hold of the Black Pearl to him.

Roxas smirked, albeit on the small side, as he picked up his cards and looked at them.

Then the dirty haired blond moaned, which caused the youngest blond of the new crew to look up in confusion.

Axel chuckled, "Tis a good move savvy. Had you withdrawn, Demyx would've forced you to drink up a whole bottle of rum." he almost laughed after receiving a look of utmost horror on the blonds' face.

But all that pushed aside, "Let the games begin."

* * *

Xaldin grunted as he looked at his pathetic set of cards and opted to relinquish three of his lowest cards and replaced them with another three from the deck. He ended up getting a pair, it was small, but it was better than having none at all.

Marluxia sighed, after exchanging cards the first, and only, time he was allowed to, he failed to get anymore decent ones. The highest card he held in his hands was a measly jack. Feeling a little under the weather and a little loopy in the head, he wasn't sure what he had been thinking when he slapped his cards face down back on the table and decided to fold, only to very belatedly realize that he must now drink up two glasses of rum. He groaned as he took a swig from his glass, and watched with hazy eyes as gleeful Demyx refill it with the second bottle of rum. The first bottle was emptied barely even twenty minutes of playing time.

Slowly, and very regretfully, he managed to gulp down the contents of his second glass and once the last drop was gone, he slammed the glass onto the makeshift table and slumped forwards.

Letting out another groan, he finally ended up falling off the barrel into the land of dreams.

Luxord laughed along with Axel and Demyx, while Xaldin and Roxas remained silent.

The youngest blond of the table, an amateur at poker, already had three glasses of rum. It wasn't a lot, but then again, he was very sure that the older crew members didn't want to damage the young boy too much. After all, it was only his first night and first time.

He felt dizzy. The ship seemed to sway to and fro and at one point, if not a lot, he almost fell off his barrel but managed to fully plant the soles of his shoes onto the hardwood floor. Although his swaying motion did not go unnoticed by the others.

"Feeling alright there Roxas?" Axel spoke as he patted the blond on the back.

"Fine." He mumbled out, careful not to show his cards to the red head who seemed to have a bit of a habit with spying.

"Good, good." He chuckled and set down his cards. "Two pairs." Axel feeling triumphant after seeing the look on Xaldin's face. He grumbled and placed his cards face up to reveal a pair before getting his glass of rum and drinking it.

Roxas watched Demyx put down his cards to reveal two pairs, the same as Axel, but with a higher number. Just by one.

The red head shouted out in frustration before slumping his shoulders in mock defeat and drank up his glass of rum.

The older blond peered over his cards to look at the youngest of the table, "Shall I reveal first or do you want to show your hand, mate."

"You first." He slurred accidentally and scowled when he heard the slight snicker that came from the more-than-a-little-tipsy dirty haired blond.

"Alright then." He smirked as he showed his set of cards to reveal a triple king and a double ace. "Hah! You think you can beat my full house savvy?"

Roxas had barely been even paying attention to what Luxord said as his eyelids felt heavy and his head drooped slightly. Demyx laughed at the sight of the newest crew member.

The blond sniffed as he dropped his cards on the table and fought back a yawn, "Drink up Luxord."

"Holy mother of pearl!" Axel shouted as he looked flabbergasted at Roxas' hand. Demyx laughed harder than he did before and fell off his barrel while clutching onto his stomach in glee.

Xaldin chuckled as he watched the look on Luxord's face. "With cards like those, I think it be best you drink up twice."

"Aye, savvy! The master of cards has been beaten by an amateur!" Demyx laughed as he tried to sit back up on the barrel.

"Better yet, why don't you drink up the whole bottle?" Axel spoke as he picked up the half empty bottle of rum and shoved it in Luxord's face, short of just touching his nose.

Not one to back down from a challenge, he took the bottle and guzzled as much as he could before he fell off the barrel and laid down on the floor with a look of contentment over his face.

"Didn't leave much now did he?" the dirty haired blond laughed as he pried the bottle from the sleeping man's hand and handed it over to Xaldin who shrugged and drank what was left.

"Xaldin, help me lug these two to their quarters, aye?" Demyx spoke as he moved over to Marluxia and slung one of the arms that belonged to the brownish-pink haired man over his own shoulder and pulled him up to his feet.

"Like I have a choice?" Xaldin spoke as he slowly rose up from his seat and moved towards Luxord.

As soon as the four left the cannon deck, Axel turned to the blond. "So, it's just you and me now, aye?" He spoke as he himself another glass of rum, just for the fun of it. "Up for another game or two?"

Unsure if he could even stay up any longer, he was about to refuse when the red head chuckled and made him change his mind like a flip of a coin. "Probably not aye? You don't seem like you can hold on for much longer."

Feeling a little irritated, his mouth went against what his mind was thinking, "Deal the cards and be on with it."

* * *

-cough-


	6. Waking Up

Hmm…Not much of an actual revamp is it? I'm just correcting the grammar and giving more descriptions…

Does that count as a revamp anyway?

* * *

"Hah! I got three of a kind." Axel threw his cards onto the plank and looked expectantly over to Roxas.

"Two pairs." He grumbled out as he tossed down his cards and moved over to pick up his glass, taking a moment before gulping it down and letting the liquid burn his throat. "Bleh…" he cringed after every drink.

"You're holding up pretty good for your first time Roxas. You sure you've never played this before?" Axel asked with a hint of suspicion as he picked up an almost empty bottle of rum and sloshed it around.

"Most certainly." he replied and forced back a burp, "Unless I got knocked out and forgot everything, I'm sure this is my first time." The blonde spoke as he allowed his head to fall onto his hand. "Deal." He waved to Axel with his free hand, his head swimming despite it being completely still.

He paused, a look of mild shock on his face, "You sure you want me to deal again?"

The blond snapped, "Just deal the cards!"

Axel remained silent as he watched the blond, but eventually, the corners of his lips quirked up into a smirk, "Whatever you say." He chuckled as he dealt out the cards. "This'll be our last game. Don't think we can last any longer."

"Says you."

The red head laughed at the wittiness from the blond boy who seemed to be struggling staying awake, "I'm sorely tempted to accept the challenge, but you and I both know, that you can't last any longer."

Roxas merely scoff as he picked up the cards. In his hands, he held a four of a kind of kings and a lame three of diamonds. Not bad, not bad at all…

He decided to discard the three and went to pick up another card from the deck. The end result, four kings and a queen.

"You show." Axel spoke as he looked over his cards.

"Fine." Roxas put down his cards which earned him an outburst from the other.

"What?!" Axel laughed, opting to put his cards face down. "Best cards I've seen in a while." he chuckled as he picked up the bottle and waved it side to side, "Ok fine. You win. I lose." he grinned as he brought the bottle to his lips and drank the whole lot.

Roxas raised an eyebrow as he watched the other guzzle down all of the contents in the bottle. He was surprised the red head didn't flinch, even as the liquid burned his throat down into his stomach.

"Ah, that was good." he licked his lips and offhandedly threw the bottle to the side, making it clink on the ground and roll under a cannon, "Lady Luck must be with you tonight." He sniffed as he leaned backwards and promptly fell off. "Goodnight." he yawned and started snoring straight away.

Feeling somewhat unsatisfied by his win, Roxas cautiously leaned over the makeshift table and took a peek at the red head's face down cards and frowned at what he saw.

"Idiot…" he whispered as he picked up the red head's filled glass and finished it off.

The ship swayed, his throat burned, his stomach protested and wished for food despite that it's filled to the brim with alcohol. He sighed as he stood up and struggled to stay upright.

The room tilted on its axis, it blurred and distorted into funny, odd angles and he almost tripped over as he made his way to the red head.

He felt dizzy as he slowly sank to his knees and laid his head atop of the red head's stomach, turning it into a makeshift pillow, "Good night…You idiot of a pirate." He spoke softly and fell into a deep, intoxicated slumber.

There, on the plank of wood, laid Roxas' four of a kind and Axel's straight flush.

* * *

Voices shouted from the heavens above. All loud but muffled and incoherent.

Stomps on hardwood floor echoed in his head and made the thump in his head grow worse and worse.

He groaned, and wished for sleep to come again. It was too early to wake. Much too early for him. He wanted more rest. Rest for his aching head.

And besides, he felt quite comfortable where he was at.

"All hands on deck you dirty scoundrels!" a man came down the stairs and kicked the shoulder of the red head before returning to the deck.

Axel awoke with a splitting headache, a now aching shoulder bone and a weight in his belly.

Or _on_ his belly.

The red head groaned and tried to push whatever was on him off to the floor but his hands were greeted with a head of soft, blond hair. "What the…" he slowly sat up to find Roxas sleeping on him.

That was odd, he didn't remember any of that happening, prior to the point of his completely bonking out after that last bottle of rum he had.

He chuckled softly to himself as he took hold of one of the blonds' shoulders and tried to shake him awake, "Hey Roxas. Time to get up." He was greeted with a groan from the said blond.

"Give me five more minutes Sora…" he mumbled out and tried to wave away the brunet, but after memories of a not-so-distant past flooded back into his mind, he eyes shot open and he quickly sat up, only to regret it seconds later.

It hurt. So much. Something was drilling into his head and even after he took hold of it with both hands, it didn't seem to wane or waver or abate. "Oww…" he groaned as he slowly laid his head to the side to meet the cool surface of the hardwood floor.

He heard a chuckle from behind and slowly turned his head around to see who it was.

"Good morning sunshine. We better head up to the deck, sounds like the captain wants to talk to us. Namely, wants to talk to you." Axel spoke as he slowly stood up, mindful of his thumping headache and brushed off his pants.

"Wha?" Roxas' speech was still slurred and he looked up at the red head who offered him a hand.

"Remember yesterday? The whole 'parley' thing." and poker, but he chose to leave that last part out.

"Oh…right. Yesterday. Parley." He took hold of Axel's hand and was brought up from the floor, Roxas tried to regain his balance, but the ache in his ankle was still there and he lost his footing.

"How's that foot of yours?" the red head asked as he kept a firm grip on the blond.

"It's…fine, thank you." he spoke, his words no longer mumbled or slurred together so much.

"No problem, we better get a move on before the captain drops anchor and yells at the lot of us."

* * *

"So, boy." The man of the ship, who went by the name of Captain Tryst, started as he looked down at the blond boy, the youngest of his crew. "What would be your name?" he asked as he stood in front of the silent blond. "Well?"

Roxas kept his lips sealed. He didn't want to reveal his identity to the man. Especially to a man he didn't want to know in return, the man who was so close to shooting down the Black Pearl.

"Boy, the silence is _killing_ me."

"You're better off dead anyway." He scowled at himself for mouthing off. He was at the mercy of the captain, and if he wanted to live to see the light of day again, the next one that is, he should obey every command.

"Is that what you think, aye?" he turned around to his crew. "He thinks I'm better off dead!" he laughed, joined in by the other crew members except for a certain few.

Almost suddenly, and without any warning, the older man took the pistol from his strap and aimed it at the boy's head.

Roxas held his breath, his eye wide with shock. He felt himself starting to tremble.

"Boy, you're on my ship." the captain started with a tone of warning in his voice, "It's my deck that you're standing on. So you better follow the rules that I've set for you." He spoke as came closer to the blond, the pistol pointing straight into his skull. "Now tell me boy, unless you want me to continuously call you boy, you'd better tell me your name so we could get better acquainted with ourselves."

The blond felt himself tremble, in anger at himself, for everything that went wrong and wished he could burn a hole in the man's skull as he reluctantly gave his name, "Roxas."

"Roxas, Roxas. Such a pretty name." he put away his pistol and heard the laughter of some crew members. "Now, Roxas. Since we're on better terms, why don't you follow me up to the steering and lead us to the Isla De Muerta." He spoke as he placed a firm hand on the blonde's shoulder, and forced the small blond to walk where he was directed.

He heard a whisper of his name being said, but when he turned to look, he saw nobody familiar.

As soon as they walked up the stairs and in front of the steering, Captain Tryst released his grip on the blond and took a step back. "Alright men! Raise the anchors and release the sails! We're off to the Isla De Muerta!" he called out as his band of pirates immediately shouted out as they went to their stations, pulling up the anchors on either side and letting go of the canvas.

Blue eyes looked around the deck below, but not a familiar person was in sight. Where did they go?

He froze when a hand came upon his shoulder again and another took hold of his hand and led it to the wooden wheel of the ship.

Roxas felt disgusted.

"Lead the way, Roxas." He bent down and whispered into the blonds' ear.

Roxas forced back a shudder.

After twenty minutes of sailing in an unknown direction, the captain chose that moment to speak once more, "So tell me, Roxas. How did you come across this…Isla De Muerta?" he asked as he waved a hand around.

Roxas thought to himself, choosing his words carefully before speaking. "I've been there before. I've seen the treasure."

"Ah, you continuously reveal to me that it's only treasure. What of the Aztec gold?"

The blond flinched. On his one and only time there, he had been tempted to take the gold. But Jack stopped him before he laid a finger on it.

"_That's an unwise move, boy. If you want to continue having a heart, you'd best stay away."_

Unsure of what Jack had meant, Roxas wanted to keep his heart, therefore his temptation was diminished on the spot.

"The Aztec gold…" he spoke slowly.

"Aye, the Aztec gold, the cursed treasure that grants you immortality. I've heard of it, but never had I thought that it would be real." he started, his voice tinged with excitement, "It's something every pirate would want. To sail the seven seas, dig up all the treasure and live forever and ever."

"It's not something a sane pirate would want." Roxas spoke offhandedly as he steered a little to the starboard side after noticing a familiar landmark.

It was all coming back to him now. As though the image of a map was imprinted into his mind and he knew every nook and cranny there was to know on how to get there.

The captain laughed. "So tell me boy. If you've been there before, have you ever taken the gold for yourself?"

The blond shook his head, "No, we only take as much as we need. And as for the gold…we never touch it."

The older man chuckled, "To reject immortality…that's something only a fool would do." He laughed before taking out his telescope and looking into it.

'No…that's something a person who wants to keep his heart would do.' Roxas thought to himself as he steered a little more to the starboard side after spotting another landmark.

* * *

After an hour or so, the captain was starting to grow impatient. "Tell me boy. Do you _know_ where you're going or are you leading us to the ends of the world?"

"I know where I'm going." Roxas spoke as he steered to the port side a little and kept the ship steady.

"Really now?" he didn't sound so convinced, "Because it doesn't seem as though you do." He took out his pistol, hoping it would fear the boy into speaking the truth.

Roxas heard a click from behind and was certain that a pistol was aimed for his head.

He held his breath, stilled his movements, as though it would help, "If you don't trust me, then shoot me. I'll be lost to Davy Jones' locker and leave you here, in the middle of nowhere, with no bearings what-so-ever to the Isla De Muerta." He spoke in bravado, despite that he actually feared for his life.

He could feel himself trembling.

The man growled, "Fine boy. But my patience is wearing thin." He spoke as he put away his pistol once again.

Roxas heaved a quiet sigh as he loosened his grip on the steering. After escaping his third attempt at death, he wasn't sure how much more luck he was going to get.

As he stared down at the decks below, not a familiar soul was in sight, but as soon as he glanced up at the crows' nest, there Demyx was, keeping a careful watch out over the horizon while another kept his eyes down at the dark waters that surrounded the ship.

As they moved on, the seas became rougher, the winds stronger, and after fighting through the raging oceans and the harsh gust, Roxas was confident that they were growing closer to their destination. "The Isla De Muerta is just up ahead. Watch out for rocks or else we'll sink to the bottom of the ocean before we make berth." He spoke to the captain as he struggled with the steering, trying to look out for rocks from his point of view.

"You heard him men! Watch out for rocks or so help me, if we hit a reef, I'll send you overboard!"

Once they reached a calm in the wind and waters, Roxas released the tight hold he had on the steering with shaky hands and slumped to the floor.

He never knew being a captain of the steering wheel was such a tough job, but then again, he was still young and lacked any sort of physique.

Blue eyes looked up to see the familiar peaks of the island and cove, and he allowed himself to breathe with ease. 'We've made it.'

He felt a hand on his shoulder and a whisper enter his ear, "Well done Roxas. Looks like I won't be killing ye just yet." The blond heard the smirk in his voice and he wanted more than anything to punch him in the face. "Now get up and lead us to the treasure."

Reluctantly, Roxas stood up, mindful of his still swollen ankle, and made his way down to the deck where the crew waited in barely contained anticipation. Two of the crew men lowered a row boat down and waited for their captain to hop in.

"You'll be coming with me." He spoke to Roxas, landing a firm grip on the boy's shoulder.

'As if I have a choice.' the blond commented to himself as he watched another two men lower down another boat which was soon filled with six men. Amongst those men, Demyx, Xaldin, Marluxia were included.

The first boat was filled with the captain, himself, Axel, Luxord and two other crew members he did not know.

"There." Roxas pointed over to a dark cave. "It's in that cave over there." Roxas could sense the anticipation coming from the captain. It was infectious, but his own hatred towards to captain overpowered the feeling of eagerness. 'I hope you die of a heart attack before you reach the gold.' Roxas thought to himself as he glared at the captain from the corner of his eye while the two members of his crew followed his direction and rowed the boat towards the dark unknown.

"I can feel the gold calling me." The captain spoke as he eagerly stood from his seat. "Immortality within my grasps. Soon, I'll be able to travel from ocean to ocean, island to island, in search of treasure and valuable items." he spoke, his voice filling with excitement as they drew closer.

Off in the distance, they could see the gold gleam from the shallow waters. Luxord peered over the boat and saw gold in the watery depths, closing his mouth to stop him from drooling at the amazing sight.

'Pirates…they're all obsessed with treasure. Not like I'm one to talk.' Roxas thought to himself as he suppressed a sigh of depression.

He felt so tired. He just wanted to sleep.

After a couple more minutes, the boat ran aground on sand and rock. Captain Tryst was first to get off, not so eagerly followed by Roxas, then Axel, Luxord and the other two men. The other boat joined shortly afterwards. It was a long walk of anticipation as the gold seemed to shine brighter as they came closer to the treasure. He could tell that the captain was holding his breath as they walked.

'Like a child looking through the windows of a toy shop…' Roxas thought to himself as he stared at the captain. When they finally reached the cavern, the captain finally released the breath he had been holding.

"Merciful Lord…" he took a slow step forward, looking around in awe, his hands out with his fingers fluttering away. "So much treasure, this is bliss…"

Roxas stared at the captain, completely unimpressed, 'Like a child that was given a choice of what toy to bring home.' He rolled his eyes but continued to stay on the same spot. Even Jack wasn't like this, but then again, he hadn't known Jack for that long a time.

Suddenly, the captain turned around, a sinister smile playing on his lips. "Boy, how's about you join my crew? And be part of my immortal band of pirates for all eternity?"

Roxas didn't know how to answer. He wanted to say no, but if he did, it might result in a bullet to the head. If he said yes…he'd lose his heart. Again, it was another lose-lose situation. He tightened his fists and glared at the ground, willing himself to take a deep breath and think his way out of it.

A click was heard. It echoed all around the cavern, and then a familiar voice spoke, "I don't think Roxas would like to sail under the command of a pirate as _stupid_ as you."

* * *

-sigh-


	7. To Aim

Lawls?

* * *

"_I don't think Roxas would like to sail under the command of a pirate as stupid as you."_

'Jack!' Roxas eyes lit up as he turned to face his captain with a grin on his face. But as the words of the man sank into his head, his expression faltered. 'It's not like you're any better…' he commented to himself but he decided to let it go, happy that he's finally found a familiar face. "Jack…I can honestly say that I am pleased to see you again."

"Of course dear Roxas." He spoke, never taking his eyes off the enemy. "Firstly, it's _captain_ to you, and secondly, Sora wouldn't stop bugging me until we've gone and searched the entire Caribbean for you." he spoke with exaggeration.

"Sora's here?" the blond asked as his eyes widened.

"Of course dear brother." a voice spoke, and Roxas could've sworn he cracked his neck when he turned to the speaker too fast. "It felt horrible not having anybody to sing along with."

The blond smiled and suppressed from laughing right there and then, but when he looked at what his brother was sitting on, he couldn't stop his mouth from hanging wide open, "Bugger! How did you get that in here?!" Roxas shouted, forgetting where he stood in the setting of life and death, war and peace.

"With much difficulty dear brother. But we decided to take every measure of getting you back." Sora laughed as he patted the cannon with one hand, the other holding up a piece of lit timber.

"What if you blew me up?!" he cried out.

"Oh…" double take, "Never really thought of that…"

Roxas rolled his eyes and turned back to look at Jack who held his pistol high, still aimed at the enemy.

There was an uncertain shuffle not too far away from where the blond stood, but he was caught in the middle of something important and didn't give the sound a second glance, that is, until a familiar voice spoke, "Roxas…?"

"Not now Axel." Roxas waved him off before realizing who it was that he was speaking to, "Ah! I forgot you were here." he had been too caught up in the drama of the moment.

The red head let out a strangled noise, something caught in between an unamused laugh and a distressed sigh, "That's…nice to know…" he spoke as he turned his head over to the Roxas look-a-like. "He's not really gonna shoot me-I mean us, right?"

The blond shrugged, an unsure smile on his face. "Knowing my brother, I'm sure he would. But it would mainly be an accident."

"I feel so much more reassured…"

"Oi, oi! Stop leading yourselves astray and focus lads!" Jack shouted, looking away from the captain temporarily, but by the time he looked back, the enemy had his own pistol out and aimed at Roxas. "Oh, bugger."

The blond froze and stopped breathing.

"Now, now, Jack Sparrow." the man smirked as he pulled back the switch of the gun, "I'm sure the two of us can work something out. We being the greatest pirates in the seas."

The sound of movement in the still air seem to intensify, and when Sora turned to look, he spotted some of the men from the opposing crew draw closer and immediately, he brought the ablaze wood closer to the wick, "Make anymore sudden movements and I'll blow you all to smithereens!"

"Hold your positions men! Surely you wouldn't want to endanger your captain now would you." He threatened his crew, never taking his eyes off Jack, "Now, Sparrow. I'm sure you don't want to lose one of your crew members, aye?" he smirked as he waved his free hand about, "Unlike you, I don't hold my crew so dearly to my heart. It wouldn't matter to me if I lost one or two of my members. I could always assault another ship and take their crew and add it to me own." He spoke, his words cold, cruel and unfeeling.

Murmurs were heard, some of shock, fear and anger. How could their captain say that? Even if he _did_ mean every word of it. Never in their life had they felt so used and worthless.

Whispers echoed through the air, some of distrust, some of regret. They don't even recall why they even joined a man like him. Even if he _was_ powerful.

And soon, they began to walk away.

Caught off guard by the sudden retreat of his men, Tryst called back out to them "Oi! Where do you think you lads are going?"

"With a crew like us, we don't deserve a captain like you. We're better off with Jack Sparrow!" one had shouted and some others yelled back in agreement while a few more chose to remain silent.

"It's Captain!" they heard Jack shout with a hint of frustration before relaxing somewhat and choosing to divert his attention back to the man in front of him. He chuckled, "Aye, savvy. That's what you get for not _bonding_ with your crew. Had you treated them with equal respect, you gain loyalty in return."

Jack was stepping on a nerve of Tryst. From the corner of his eye, he watched his crew walk off, never looking back, until he caught sight of some of his men left, "Aye, lads. So you've decided to stay with me till the end, aye?"

"No." the dirty haired blond answered.

"What?" he spoke harshly.

"We've decided to join a captain who's worthier than you." the older blond replied as the others murmured in agreement.

Lost for words, he was left alone in the dark cavern. He felt cold. But if this is how he was going to end, he won't go alone. He'll drag another down to Davy Jones' locker with him.

With a sudden yell of frustration, he pulled the trigger, the shot echoing through the cavern and beyond as he brought the gun back to shoot into the skull of the man he loathed, but felt his breath leave him.

"Roxas!!" a voice shouted out.

"ROXAS!" Sora yelled as he threw the timber to the side, jumped off the cannon and watched as his brother fell to the cold, unforgiving floor, in the corner of his eye. He dashed towards the blond and knelt down, his arms immediately reaching out to hold onto his counterpart, "Roxas! Are you ok?" he held onto his brother, forcing back the tears. "Roxas! Say something!"

His breath hitched, "It hurts…" he looked tired, almost as if he was about to fall to sleep.

"It's ok Roxas. I'm here for you. I'll look after you, just like I always do." Sora spoke, no longer able to hold his tears back.

He was bleeding, so much, how deep was the wound, how badly was he injured?

Roxas groaned, "Yeah…" he whispered out as he tried to sit up, only to have the last of his strength leave him and he closed his eyes.

"No…Roxas. Roxas!" he tried to shake the blond awake, "Don't leave me! I just got you back! You can't leave me!" he shouted, his voice bordering on anguish.

A silver haired boy watched from the spot behind the cannon. The tip of the rifle smoking away, the barrel still hot from being recently used.

He didn't understand how this happened. They had planned everything out so well. How did this happen?

* * *

"_Now?" the silver haired boy asked as he remained shrouded in the shadows._

"_Not yet. Just wait for it. Shoot when the time is right." Sora whispered, never taking his eyes off the enemy, still holding onto the burning piece of lumber, watching the scene unfold before his eyes. A hint of satisfaction beneath those blue orbs as the crew abandoned their own heartless captain. _

"_Remember…aim for the heart."_

"_As if the bastard has a heart." Riku replied as he slowly brought up the rifle, the hilt held firm against his shoulder. He heard Sora stifle back a laugh._

'_Aim for the heart…' he thought to himself as he closed one eye and used the other to maintain focus. 'Aim for the heart…'_

_He had a clear view. _

_The plan was working out perfectly. No one noticed his presence. No one but Sora and Jack. It was planned that way. No one was to know he was even alive._

'_Aim for the heart…' he thought to himself, tightening the grip on the rifle. 'Shoot when the time is right…' the words continued to echo in his mind._

_He caught the sudden movement and a gunshot from his target and chose that moment to pull the trigger. He watched the shot rifle through the air and disappear into the chest of the heartless captain. _

_He did it._

_He couldn't believe he did it. But at the same time, he couldn't believe he hadn't done it sooner._

_This hadn't been part of the plan. They hadn't planned for anybody, much less Roxas, to get hurt. Nobody was supposed to get hurt._

_How did this happen?_

* * *

It was a sad day indeed…

The other ship had sailed off, not bothering to stay for their former captain or for the other crew members that fell behind.

It was a pirate rule after all. It was expected.

The newest members of the crew, the dirty haired blond, the brown-pink haired man, the short haired blond, the man with the dreadlocks and large sideburns and the red head, were greeted with stares and raised eyebrows from the crew of Captain Jack Sparrow. But upon further introduction, they were easily welcomed into the crew. They felt happy, as if a large burden had been thrown off their shoulders. They felt as if they belonged.

Sora was silent as he carried his brother on his back. Blood dripping from the wound, staining his clothes and making a trail on the floor. He moved towards the panel that led to the galley where they slept, and disappeared into the darkness.

Many members of the crew wanted to follow, to see if they were going to be ok, to see if there was anything they could do, but they were held back by their captain, "It'll be best if we leave them alone for the moment."

"But…" the dirty haired blond started, unsure if he could wait to make sure that Roxas was ok, although reluctant, he obeyed, as did the rest of the worried crew.

Jack nodded his head before walking up to the steering. "Alright men. Raise the anchors. Release the sails and pull up the row boat. We're leaving to Tortuga." He spoke, his voice devoid of enthusiasm.

Xigbar and Larxene retreated to their posts on top of the mast at the crows' nest.

Mr.Gibbs and Riku walked over to the railings, seeing to see the row boat that needed to be reclaimed. The silver haired stepped down and held out his hands for the older man to throw down the ropes to secure it.

Mr. Cotton and Shammy moved to pull up the starboard anchor while the other was left alone.

The new members were unsure of what they were supposed to do. They didn't know what they could contribute.

But eventually, Demyx moved his way along the deck and started pulling up the anchor on the port side with the help of Xaldin.

The rest of the crew decided to help with the last thing on the agenda; attending to the sails.

"What about the cannon?" Gibbs asked as he walked over to Jack after he had done his share of duties.

"We'll leave it there for future use." Jack spoke, taking a nonchalant look at his compass.

"But we'll be short one cannon."

"Doesn't matter. We can always get another one at Tortuga."

"…Aye."

* * *

"_Sora?"_

_A whisper, "I'm here."_

"_I had a bad dream." the boy spoke as he shivered. _

_It was cold. So cold. Why were they outside? Why weren't they back in their house, in front of their lit fire, warm and safe?_

_The brunet didn't speak as he continued to gaze down at his worn shoes._

_Dream? If only it was…_

"_Sora?"_

"_Yes?"_

_Confusion filled the boy's eyes as he looked around, uncertain of where they were. Parts of the area looked familiar, but it was too decrepit, old and worn to be the same old market they had._

"_Where's mother and father? Why are we outside?"_

_The brunet didn't speak as he gazed at an empty spot beside his shoes. The ground worn time and time again._

_Roxas shivered again and tried to rub his arms together in an attempt to regain some warmth as he looked around the old market place._

_Splintered wood lay scattered over the dirtied ground, debris of buildings, bullets and used cannons littered almost every step of the town._

_It wasn't a dream._

"_It wasn't a dream, was it?" the blond asked quietly and felt something sting his eyes._

_The brunet didn't speak as he lifted his eyes and stared into the off-distance. He didn't want to think about his misfortune._

_Roxas continued to shiver, he felt so cold. Why was it so cold?_

"_S-Sora." he stuttered, unable to keep the chill out of his voice._

"…_I'm here."_

_But why did it feel as though he was all alone? This brunet couldn't be his brother. His brother who was always smiling and laughing and always playing._

_The blond, unable to do anything or say anything else, crouched down onto the floor and continued to shiver relentlessly._

_They were all alone, cold, left forgotten._

_The world was so unfair._

"…_I'm cold…" Roxas mumbled out as he squeezed his eyes shut and huddled into himself. He felt numb._

"_Me too…" he muttered out as he sat on the ground beside his brother and hugged his knees to himself._

_The whole town was deserted, quiet, left for dead. Were they the only ones left? It felt that way._

_They didn't know what to do, where to go._

_They cried. They cried as they shivered in the cold._

_How did the world expect two children to survive on their own after having lost their parents? It was cruel. It was unfair._

_And then warmth smothered them._

"_What?" the brunet muttered out as he looked up and gaze into the eyes of an intimidating man. He shivered. In cold, in fear._

"_The world is indeed cruel." the man spoke mainly to himself as he turned and slowly walked away._

_Roxas huddled himself into the warm jacket that the man left behind and shivered in anticipation._

_Some feet away, the man turned around and gestured for the children, "Come." he spoke as he turned around and continued on his walk, never once forcing them to come along. It was their choice whether they followed or stayed._

_But what choice did they have?_

_Stay in the decrepit town? Or follow the man that gave them warmth from the freezing cold?_

_Slowly, they stood from the floor, huddled themselves deeper into the warm jacket and followed with closed hearts and open minds._

* * *

'"Sora…?" he mumbled out as he slowly opened his eyes to find his brother crying beside him.

"I'm here…" he sniffed. "You really had me worried there." He tried to wipe his tears away, but they continued to flow freely.

He felt so cold, "I'm sorry."

"It's ok…I mean when he shot you. I just-I didn't. Suddenly you fell and I got worried and I-" he stuttered through sniffs and sobs.

"I'm sorry." Roxas apologized once more, trying to sit up from the hammock wincing from the pain. He felt horrible, "I'm cold."

Almost immediately, a blanket was thrown over the blond.

"Thank you." Roxas spoke as he pulled the blanket closer to himself, mindful of the pain in his stomach, "How bad is it?" he asked.

"It's not that bad." the brunet sniffed, "Just a graze on the side of your stomach."

'Just a graze?' he looked down at his shirt which was covered in drying blood and had a hole in it. He lifted it and surely, it was just a small abrasion. "What? It felt a lot worse than that…"

Sora started to laugh, strangled at first, "You fainted from a small scratch."

The blond snapped, "You cried because you thought I was _dead_!"

"It was a small scratch!!"

"Nice to know that you cared for me!" Roxas yelled, throwing a punch at his brother's shoulder.

"Nice to know that you're not left for dead." Sora smiled before throwing himself onto the blond, giving him a heartfelt, but painful hug. "I'm so happy…"

Roxas winced, although momentarily pained at the sudden act, he relaxed himself into the embrace and returned the hug. "Me too…"

"Alright, let me find the bandages." the brunet spoke as he broke away, walking off to find bandages to dress up the blonds' wound.

* * *

Sora emerged after half an hour of leaving the Isla De Muerta, with Roxas in tow and immediately, they were bombarded with questions from worried crewmen.

"Are you alright?" the dirty haired blond asked, careful not to bring anymore harm to the blond who had yet to change out of his stained clothes.

"I'm alright." Roxas replied as he looked down and noticed that he was still wearing the bloody shirt. He must've grabbed the wrong shirt when they were done with cleaning the wound. "I need to change clothes…" he spoke as he turned heel and walked back down into the galley, followed closely by a certain new member of their crew.

The silver haired boy walked up to the brunet and noticed the slight redness in the brunet's eyes, "How are you faring?"

"Much better than Roxas." he replied as he released a sigh and moved towards the railing.

"I see…"

"I commend you on a job well done back in the cove." Sora brought up as he stared down at the rolling waves.

The silver haired boy merely cracked a small smile as he set his eyes to gaze at the setting sun over the horizon.

* * *

Roxas felt tired, and wondered if he would be allowed to sleep the rest of the day away, or whatever was left of it.

"Roxas."

It was that familiar voice again, and when the blond turned, he saw red.

"Yes?" he started as he moved over towards his bed and grabbed the shirt that he had been given to wear in replacement of his current one.

The red head was concerned and it was evident in the way the blue eyes just seemed so exhausted. "You really had me worried there."

"Why do you care?" Roxas asked, unsure of why he felt so angry all of a sudden, "You hardly know me."

"Aw, come now." Axel started as he waved a hand around, "We introduced ourselves and we had a couple of drinks. Doesn't that count as something?"

"One night of merriment doesn't mean we're best of mates." He spoke as he held onto his shirt, not quite comfortable in changing into them just yet.

"And it doesn't seem as though you _want_ us to be the best of mates."

Roxas, forgetting why he was angry, turned to see the red head walk back up towards the deck. He hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but at the same time, it just felt so satisfying.

The ship was crawling with pirates left and right, new and old.

But why did he feel so alone? Left to fend for himself in the seven seas.

* * *

Lawls…


	8. Favors

Arghhh me hearties!

* * *

"_Hey!"_

_Someone started laughing, but wherever he turned his head to where the source might be, the laughter was gone._

"_This isn't funny!"_

_He heard laughter somewhere to his right, but when he turned around, he saw nothing._

"_You're cheating!" he cried out as he stomped his foot on the ground, no longer finding the game of 'hide and seek' to be fun._

"_I am not." a voice spoke, a smirk evident within the tone._

_He turned around and pouted at his friend who smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest._

"_Just because you're not good at the game doesn't mean I'm cheating."_

"_Yes you are." he protested, "I don't wanna play anymore."_

"_Sora…" the boy moaned, looking very much dejected._

_The brunet laughed and then quickly changed the subject, "Can you help me with a favor instead?"_

_The word 'favor' suddenly peaked the boy's interest, and he got curious, "What is it?"_

* * *

Blue eyes opened to see the blurry darkness that surrounded him. The motion of the hammock he slept on swayed gently from side to side along with the ship and his mind was a blissful blank.

He couldn't recall his dream, nothing but sketchy words and blurry images, but it felt oddly familiar. Like a memory that couldn't quite fully make it to the surface.

Sora hadn't been able to remember much of his childhood, having wiped out almost every memory of it prior to meeting Jack and enlisting himself and his brother under the man's command.

After years of forgetting or trying to forget, why is it that suddenly, almost out of the blue, he started vaguely recalling little bits and pieces of his not-so-wonderful childhood?

He decided not to think anymore of it as he pushed himself off the hammock of which he slept on, stretched his body and awoke every sleeping fiber of his entire being, before he moved over to the stairs which would eventually lead him up towards the deck.

As soon as he opened the doors, he was slightly blinded by the sunlight. Why was it so bright?

He groaned as he raised a hand to cover his eyes.

"Nice of you to finally join us." someone commented.

He looked out through the gaps between his fingers. The sun was high and it was apparent that it was no longer morning.

"Had a good rest?" the same voice asked.

The brunet groaned a little more, and removed his arm away from his face, his eyes having slowly adjusted to the brightness already, "More or less."

"Are you hungry? I can ask Demyx to find something for you."

It was at that moment that Sora realized how peckish he was feeling and the thought of food actually sounded drool-worthy, "That would be nice." he spoke as he turned to his brother and noticed how he looked.

His mussed up hair, his blue eyes, his lips set to a nonchalant line.

There was nothing different about Roxas, yet, at the same time, Sora knew there was.

"Ok." the blond spoke as he hopped off the barrel of which he had been sitting on and moved over to the door that led into the ship's hold.

It had been a couple of days, more or less, since their crew had attained a few extra new members. Everybody seemed to get along well with everybody, more or less.

Larxene seemed to have taken a liking to Marluxia, in terms of teasing and mocking the man's pride due to his 'pink' hair. But the man wasn't one to be pushed over, so he always retaliated that her hair made her seem like the devil in disguise, which would make her spark with anger and more cruel words were tossed about their so-called friendly banter.

Demyx liked everyone. At the first meeting, he made sure to properly introduce himself to everybody. He especially liked Mr. Cotton and his parrot. And it would seem that the parrot liked Demyx too, because whenever the dirty haired blond came up on deck from beneath the ship's hold or wherever, the parrot would fly off from Mr. Cotton's shoulder and would perch itself atop of Demyx's. It made an interesting sight to see.

Xaldin mainly stuck to himself, helping out whenever necessary to make sure the ship stays afloat. But sometimes, the burly man would often speak with Xigbar. And it would seem that Xigbar has an intelligent side to him rather than the fumbling buffoon that once claimed that they were all going to die. But ignoring that one incident, the both of them would converse whatever came to mind. How the world functioned and if there really was a waterfall edge at the very end of it. Of course, they each had their disagreements every now and then but at the end of the day, they always came to a compromise.

Luxord found himself accompanying their captain, more often than not. It was odd how their friendship had formed, but it had none-the-less. Their relations were strictly professional, but when it came down to relaxing and just taking some time off from professionalism, Luxord would whip out his deck of cards and he would deal out. Of course, things didn't get funny until either him or Jack was drunk and laughing their asses off about the simplest of things.

As for the last member, the red head, whom he only knew as Axel and nothing more. Well, the red head tended to stick to himself, much like Xaldin, but at least Xaldin would still speak to some people. Not that Axel didn't speak to anyone. Sure, Demyx every once in a while, but most of the time, he would sit on one of the beams that hung the ship's canvas and just stare out the endless seas. Sometimes, he would stand at the very top of the forecastle deck and wait. Nobody exactly knew what he was looking for, or what he was searching for. But what they _did_ know was that he was different now.

He had somehow changed during the time from just after the battle at the Isla De Muerta, to the time when they were each welcomed into the crew.

Something was off, something was amiss, but Demyx was the only one who cared enough to speak with the red head, only to be eventually brushed off.

It was almost the same thing with Roxas, Sora couldn't help but suddenly realized. But he figured that from the moment the blond fell off the ship, was captured by another; that he had already changed.

There was always something weighing on the blonds' shoulder, just what it was, Sora didn't know. The brunet felt left out. He and Roxas used to share everything. That's what brother's were supposed to do, but now…he felt as though Roxas was slowly drifting away, much like the time when the blond kept on falling back because the ship moved forward and the tides pushed him back.

"Sora."

It was evident that Roxas had changed, for various reasons that Sora wasn't quite able to comprehend.

At first, he had assumed that it was because Jack and the crew welcomed the new members with open arms; the crew that may have tortured the blond into leading them to the treasure at the Isla De Muerta. But his assumptions had gone down the whirlpool when he noticed that Roxas spoke to almost every new member of the crew, except for a certain one, and that they got along fairly well.

"Sora."

"Huh?"

The silver haired boy sighed, "What were you pondering about so much that you failed to hear me call you three times?" he asked with a slightly exasperated look.

"Oh, I was just…" the brunet strayed off his topic of thought as he turned his head and spotted the red head who continued to stand, unrelenting, from that spot at the very tip of the forecastle deck, "There's something about that Axel that seems…"

"Off?" Riku finished for the brunet who merely nodded his head.

"Yes, he's different from the other crew members who try their best to fit in and do whatever is it they need to do. While he," Sora paused as he gestured to the red head who continued to have his back facing them, "He doesn't seem so eager to do anything."

The silver haired boy sighed, "There's always a bad seed among the good." he reasoned and looked away for a few seconds before he turned back to the brunet, "Can we push him off the plank?"

"What?" Sora laughed, "No!"

Riku smirked.

The brunet's little outburst caught the attention of almost every member that were on the deck, even the red head who turned around for a few seconds before averting his attention back to the endless sea ahead of him.

Sora calmed down, "That is horrible of you, Riku."

"Well," the silver haired boy shrugged, "It got you to laugh, so I assume that's a mission accomplished."

It was odd, how they had first met, bitter enemies it would seem. But then they found common ground, and during the time that Roxas had gone missing, the both of them had grown closer than anyone would've thought. Almost as though they were as inseparable as childhood friends.

"I have a favor to ask of you, Riku." the brunet spoke suddenly, his eyes fixed on the red head.

The silver haired boy raised a delicate eyebrow and looked curious, "What is it?"

* * *

Axel didn't understand it.

They had gotten along so well before, and now it was back to as though the both of them had never spoken before, had never met before.

But that was unfair. He spoke with Demyx, Luxord, practically everybody else but him. Why?

Why was he the one that had to be left out; be given the silent treatment? What had he even done to deserve it?

The red head sighed as he continued to watch the rolling waves of the ocean ahead of him as he sat unmoving atop of the beams that were attached to the main mast.

It had been days, more or less, that he had last spoken with Roxas, and even then, it wasn't as though they had parted on good terms. Maybe he had, unwittingly, said something to offend the blond. He wasn't sure what though. He would apologize, but then again, he wasn't really one to apologize for something he wasn't sure what to apologize for.

Axel had made a few horrible attempts, half hearted at best, to speak with Roxas, but the blond always found a way to weasel off somewhere before he could even get close. So eventually, he gave up, again, somewhat half hearted, and decided to leave the blond alone.

It was probably the best course of action for now.

The red head sighed as he waved his legs back and forth from beneath him, mindful to make sure that his footwear didn't suddenly fall off and land atop of someone's head.

So caught up in his own world, he failed to notice someone else come up beside him.

"A little absent minded, aren't you?" a voice spoke, which caused the red head to jolt just a little.

"Hey, woah, would you mind? You might've killed me there."

"It is not my fault if you fell due to your inattentiveness." the silver haired boy pointed out as he leaned back on the main mast and watched the red head who scoffed at him.

"Right…" he mumbled off before he turned his attention away. Something about the silver haired boy irked him to no end. "What is it you want?"

"Nothing."

Axel didn't seem so convinced, "Oh really now…"

The red head kept his gaze at the ocean, while the silver haired boy continued to watch the other with nonchalance and crossed arms.

They remained silent for a while, and it unnerved Axel. What did the boy want with him?

"You don't seem much like the other crew members." Riku brought up.

"What do you mean."

"They speak about you." he continued, "They say you've changed."

"I haven't." he lied to himself.

So what if he was a little quieter now? Xaldin always told him to bugger off and quiet down when they were back under the command of that horrid captain. Surely the burly man would appreciate his silence.

"You know…" the silver haired boy started, "If you don't revert back to your original self, whoever that may be, we might start to think that you're up to no good." he spoke as he pushed himself off from the mast, stared at the red head a while longer before he turned away and carefully made his way back down onto the main deck.

Once the boy was out of sight, off his mast and out of hearing range, the red head scoffed, "Of course…because there's deceit around every corner and whoever wants a bit of solitude must be the saboteur." he spoke mainly to himself as his feet continued to dangle in the air.

* * *

Someone hummed. "You do not seem to have a lot of resources."

The blond continued to watch with interest as he sat atop an empty barrel.

"Even if he was a horrible captain, he still had the decency to provide his crew mates with a healthy meal of some extent." Demyx spoke as he rummaged around the storage feeling slightly annoyed.

Then his fingers touched something soft, and squishy and furry…

He made a gagging noise, and then some, when he found a rotten apple squished between his fingers and felt the world crumble around him.

"That…is…" he paused, feeling sickness rush over him, "One of the most _disgusting_," he spoke with much passion and disdain, "Thing I have ever seen and/or touched." he looked positively green as he threw the apple, or what used to be an apple, into a barrel that was half filled with rotten or no longer usable items of food.

Roxas was finding it very humorous to watch Demyx search around the cupboards and throw away everything he deemed as unworthy into the barrel that was slowly starting to smell really bad.

"I'm so happy I took in a bucket of water for something like this." the dirty haired blond spoke as he washed his filthy hands into the bucket and left the room to get some more clean water.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that the dirty haired blond returned with a clean bucket of salty water that he paused and sniffed the air.

"I smell something really bad." he spoke as he placed down the bucket onto the floor and started looking through the cupboards and into odd places. "It smells like…"

The blond sniffed the air, but found nothing different about it than it was a mere few seconds ago. The whole room still smelled bad, but at least now, he was more or less used to it.

"Bad eggs?" Demyx murmured to himself as he got to his knees and looked through every nook and cranny in the cupboards which he had yet to go through.

"Eggs?" Roxas spoke as he sat up curiously from where the barrel he sat on and watched.

And then the dirty haired blond made a strangled noise, "_Really_ bad eggs…" Demyx spoke as he took out what seemed like a tray of black and green eggs.

Roxas pinched his nose as soon as the item came into view, carrying a visible waft around it. "Oh mother of pearl. I didn't know we had eggs in there." The younger blonds' eyes were starting to water and he felt sick to the stomach.

Demyx gave the eggs an experimental poke and the shells gave way. It was soft and squishy, "Oh my god…"

The younger blond couldn't take it any longer as he felt his stomach lurch and gurgle with distaste. Without a second thought, he dashed out of the room and out for some fresh air.

He heaved as he tried to take in as much fresh air as he could into his lungs before he stomach gave way and made him throw up all over the side of the deck.

And as soon as he calmed himself down somewhat, he mentally vowed that he would _never_ return back into the so-called kitchen ever again.

* * *

-Hums-

Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of rum.

Arghh, me hearties!


	9. Leave Behind

-cough-

Chapter 9 sucked and I had to re-do the whole thing…

And…I think I need a new title for this story. Hah…Which I have already done, but it wasn't until now that I decided to. Lawls.

* * *

"_Wait!" he cried out as he struggled to catch up._

"_Come on!" the boy ahead of him laughed as he continued to run._

"_W-wait! I'm-I'm not--" he ran out of breath and slowed to a stop, his body doubled over, his hands over his knees holding him up._

"_Roxas! Come on!" the boy cried out with an air of exasperation and anticipation as he ran back to the said person and tried to pull him along._

"_I-" he heaved, having spared himself no more breath, "I can't."_

"_Yes you can!" the boy tried to encourage the blond._

_Roxas heaved another breath and swallowed down air before he chanced to speak, "Why are you always running?"_

_The boy paused, a little lost for words, his grip on the blonds' hand loosened and his expression neutral with eyebrows raised, "Because it's what I do best."_

_And it was all he had to give for a reason._

* * *

Waves rolled past, washed itself up on the sides of the ship and sprayed across the deck whenever it got too high and got itself caught with the wind.

Blue eyes stared into the waters with wandering thoughts. That's all he had been doing lately; nothing but constant thinking and pondering.

"Hey Roxas."

He wondered what it would feel like to have his feet touch the ocean but not sink. It must be a wonderful feeling. To weigh nothing and do whatever he pleased.

"Roxas."

Something caught his attention, and the blond turned his head to see his brother stare at him with quirked eyebrows and a slight half-frown.

"Yes?" he started as he blinked and stared back at his brunet counterpart.

"What were you thinking of?" he asked curiously as he mimicked his brother's posture and leaned his body on the side railings of the ship.

"Nothing important." he reasoned as he averted his eyes away and stared down at the ocean below.

The brunet didn't seem so convinced, but pushed the subject away; it wasn't important right now, "I have been meaning to ask."

Roxas paid attention to his brother's words, despite the fact that he seemed a little preoccupied with other thoughts, "Hm?"

"What…did they do to you, on that ship?" he asked cautiously.

Ship? What ship?

Then vague images of a time he thought belonged in another life suddenly sprang up to mind, "Nothing really." Just a gun to the head, threats to be pushed off into the ocean to drown or get eaten; nothing but the usual pirate banter.

"You're lying."

"Not really." he sighed, feeling tired all of a sudden. Why was Sora suddenly so interested anyway? "Why do you ask?" he asked as he turned to his brother.

The brunet paused, as though pondering if he should speak his mind or not, "You've…changed. You're different now." he reasoned.

"How so?"

"I assumed that it might've been because Jack willingly accepted the new crew members into our band, but you seem to get along well enough with them except for a certain one." he started, "Did he do something to you?"

"Not at all." All the red head did was show him hospitality and nothing but kindness when he thought he was left for dead. He owed Axel a lot, but he felt uncomfortable about owing a complete stranger his life. Or half of it.

"Then?" the brunet prodded on, "You're hiding something. I know you are." he spoke, his voice gradually growing louder until it lowered to being just a desperate whisper, "What happened to you Roxas? What happened to you?"

That was a question even Roxas didn't know how to answer himself. What happened to him?

"I…don't know."

* * *

"_Where are you going?" he asked, curious and sad at the same time._

"_On an adventure!" he spoke excitedly as he packed his bags ready to go out in the world and explore._

_The blond watched as his best friend continued to pack away whatever meager things he owned into a small knapsack, "Are you coming back?"_

_The boy shrugged, "Don't think I will. My ma and pa hates me, and my brother, so the both of us are leaving, never to return." he spoke, never once missing a beat or catching that sad look from the boy who stood by the sidelines and watched helplessly._

"…_What about me?"_

_The boy looked up and smiled, "Your ma and pa loves you. I wish I have parents like that." he spoke, completely missing the point of the question._

_But before the blond could even speak another word, a voice called out to them, "Are you ready yet? The ship's leaving soon!"_

"_Coming!" the boy called out as he tied his knapsack, slung it over his shoulder and walked into the direction of where the docks were located, the blond boy following close behind._

"_Wait-"_

"_Off I go Roxas, to be a pirate." he grinned, happy he was finally leaving a home that was never really a home to begin with. Can't say he'll miss much._

"_But-"_

"_I'll miss you Roxas." he grinned and walked on._

_The blond stopped his steps and watched at the boy, his best friend, continued to walk away, his shoulders straight, his head held high, not a single worry about the world. _

_He felt bad. He felt sad. But worst of all, he felt broken and betrayed._

_But it wasn't until the boy was gone and out of sight that the blond found his voice again, despite how soft it was, "No you won't…"_

* * *

It was long before the sun had even set over the horizon that the winds had died down and the ship rocked back and forth, to and fro on the same spot of the ocean, never moving.

It was then, after what felt like hours of waiting, that they decided it would be best to weigh anchor, lift the canvas and retire early for the late afternoon.

But they didn't want to have any of that. After all, there were bottles and bottles of rum in the ship's hold, Tortuga was a mere few hours away and it would do no sense if they made berth with still so much alcohol within the ship.

The sound of laughter echoed all around them, lamps were lit and an empty barrel, with odd bits and pieces of items inside were let afire.

"Where's the rum!" the drunken man called out as his steps swayed and waved a half empty bottle around.

"In your hand." the dirty haired blond spoke with a slight snigger.

Jack looked at his hand, but it was empty, "Liar! Off the plank with you!" he shouted as he made a move towards his newest addition to his crew and tried to push him off, only to completely miss his distance and fall flat on his face, a mere foot away from the actual person who was now guffawing like mad.

The captain of the ship moaned and groaned and took a sniff before he made a slight gagging noise, "I smell bad eggs."

They laughed as the man stumbled back up to his feet and continued to swagger around the deck, drunk as mad.

Among the drunk, was also Sora. In fact, practically everybody on the ship, except a certain few, was drunk.

Sure it had been funny the first hour or so, but now this was just getting very tiring.

Roxas would've retired to bed already, but chose to remain awake to make sure nobody got themselves tossed overboard, drown, and submit themselves into Davy Jones' locker.

He sighed as he watched his brother and Demyx dance around the barrel as though it was a mystical being before one of them went stupid and tossed a quarter bottle of rum inside.

Sure it made a loud boom, but heck if it wasn't impressive.

"Wow, look at the pretty lights." the dirty haired blond spoke as he stared up at the sky. He had no idea how he ended up on the floor. Probably when the rum exploded in the barrel.

"Let's do it again!" Sora cried out as he grabbed a random bottle nearby, which was full, and nearly tossed it into the barrel, but luckily Riku, being one of the sober ones, stopped him before anything disastrous would happen.

If a quarter full bottle of rum caused that big of a spectacular to happen, imagine a whole bottle. Could blow a hole in their ship and make them all submit to Davy Jones' locker.

"Come on Sora, up with you." the silver haired boy spoke as he dragged the said person up back to his feet all the while making sure that not a drop of alcohol was within the brunet's reach. "Time for bed."

"But I'm not tired yet!" he cried out, a little down-trodden that he was about to leave.

"Yes you are. Now come on."

The brunet laughed, "Ok." And it was a good thing he gave in too, because within minutes, he was out like a light, so to speak.

It was like a butterfly's effect. Because as soon as Sora left, everybody started to slowly doze off into sleep. Even the fire within the barrel seemed to lose its flame.

Then it was taken upon the sober ones to help lug the drunken and sleeping men and women back within the ship's resting hold.

Roxas sighed as he walked over to one of the few people that were still awake and tried to conclude whether they were still ok or not, "Xaldin?"

"Hm?" the burly man replied, looking a little tired but awake none-the-less.

"Are you able to go back to the sleeping quarters?" he asked as he continued to gauge whether the man could make it.

"Yes, of course." he spoke as he got up, much to the surprise of the small blond, "But let me assist you with the others first."

Before Roxas could even get another word out, Xaldin had managed to grab onto both Luxord and Xigbar and haul them downstairs without much trouble.

He didn't come back up, so it was safe to assume the man had fallen asleep.

Well, three down, seven more to go…

The blond sighed softly as he got up and walked over to where Marluxia was sleeping with Larxene leaning on his shoulder. He wasn't too sure if he should leave them as they are, but with the unpredictable weather, it would be bad if it suddenly rained on them and they got sick.

So with no other choice, he slowly shook the pink haired man awake, "Hey."

"Oh, is it morning already?" he asked as he yawned and rubbed his eyes.

The side of Roxas' lips quirked up slightly, "Not quite." he spoke, "Perhaps the both of you should retire back into the ship's hold?" he asked as he continued to watch the man who seemed as though he was ready to fall back asleep.

"Ah, right, of course." he spoke as he slowly got up, mindful not to accidentally let the blonde woman fall down onto the hardwood deck, picker her up and carried her downstairs.

Five down, five more to go.

He wasn't sure if he'd be able to help everybody without ending up tiring himself out to the brink of complete exhaustion, but he'd just have to endure. And just as he was about to wake his so-called captain up, he heard footsteps come closer.

As he turned to where the source of the footsteps came from, it sounded as though it was coming up the stairs, a certain red head came into view from within the darkness.

Glances were exchanged, no words were spoken, each in their own mind.

Then finally, "Xaldin asked me to help you with your task." he reasoned as he stepped away from the door and towards the sleeping dirty haired blond who was lying on his back to the floor.

Roxas merely watched.

"Come on Demyx." the red head spoke as he grabbed hold on one of the dirty haired blonds' arms and pull him up.

"Yes mother." he grinned.

Axel rolled his eyes as he helped Demyx and led him into the ship.

Ok, six down…four more to go.

Knowing how Jack is when he's drunk, Roxas would probably have to end up dragging the older man back into the captain's quarters. It usually went by much easier with the aid of his brother, but it wasn't as though he couldn't do it himself. Sure it meant having to put in more effort, but as long as he got the job done, then what more could he say about it?

Roxas sighed, not even bothering to wake up Jack. Because when he's drunk and he falls to sleep, he's completely out like a light.

So, grabbing hold of each of the older man's arms, he lugged him with as much strength as he could muster up from his body and dragged the man back into his room.

It took his a while, but as soon as he was done, he was left tired and feeling a little worse for wear. He didn't know how long he took, but he didn't think he'd have enough strength or energy to get the last three back downstairs.

However, he sighed, called up whatever last amount of energy he had from within and pushed himself out of the door only to be pleasantly surprised that there was nobody left on deck.

But then, it started to cause him some worry. What if they got up and thought it would be funny to go for a swim?

Not funny at all.

So hurriedly, the blond ran over to the sides of the ship and looked around. No sign of Gibbs, Mr. Cotton and his parrot _or_ Shammy. Then he ran to the other side. Again, no sign, hair or hide, of the last three men.

"Oh…my god…"

"What are we looking for?" a voice asked, which caused the blond to jump out of his skin and reel back until his back painfully met the stairs that led up to the quarter deck.

It was just Axel.

"Don't-" his heart rammed in his chest, "Do that."

"What?" the red head started, "I merely asked--"

"What happened to Gibbs?" the blond interrupted.

"Downstairs."

"Mr. Cotton?"

"Downstairs."

"And-"

"Downstairs." the red head replied as he crossed his arms and stared at the blond with a raised eyebrow.

The both of them merely watched each other, never speaking a word, each in their own thoughts.

Eventually, the red head got fed up with waiting and left. But before Axel could even get a step on the stairs that led into the ship's hold, the blond spoke, "Thank you, for helping."

The red head stared, and then smiled, half hearted at best, "What are crew mates for?" then continued his way downstairs, only to stop once again when the blond called out his name.

"Wait, Axel, I--" he paused, suddenly at a loss for words.

"Yes?"

This was his chance, to finally be alone and actually speak with the red head. But what did they have in common to even talk about?

Nothing at all.

Roxas averted his gaze away from green eyes, "Nothing."

Axel chuckled, scorned, "Right, of course."

* * *

-cough-


	10. Missing

Big one-oh! Huzzah!

Anyways, oh my god, another chapter which I had to completely do over! What the hell?!

Talk about a serious revamp!

* * *

"_What's wrong?" somebody asked._

_He sighed, "I don't know." he spoke as he stared out to the seas forlornly, his arms leaned over the railings of the ship which he sailed with._

"_Do you miss home?" the same voice asked._

_He frowned, feeling disgusted at the thought of home, at the thought of parents who cared not for him or his brother, "No." _

"_Then?"_

_His gaze softened as his thoughts wandered to a certain person, his best friend whom he had left behind, "I miss --…"_

* * *

Groggily, green eyes awoke to the sound of constant snoring and the swaying of a ship not looked after. He sighed as he got up from his bed and looked around the sleeping quarters. Everybody was still sound asleep and not looking as though they'd be waking up anytime soon.

He couldn't quite tell how long he had slept for, but if his body felt as though it had a sufficient amount of rest, then it would be good enough for him.

However…

That dream. He vaguely remembered it from the time when he was still a child, but the name of whoever he had been missing so dearly was escaping his thoughts.

He couldn't remember.

Well…that was odd.

He scratched the back of his head as he slowly got up from his bed and carefully made his way across the body littered floor towards the stairs which would lead up to the deck. He prepared himself for bright light, but was still caught off guard by the sheer intensity of the sun.

When his eyes were fully adjusted, he spotted that the sails were still lifted and tied, the anchors were still released, resting at the very bottom of the sea bed, and there was still that scorched barrel in the middle of the deck.

But something felt off.

So as he climbed the mast to reach the beams to look overhead, not a single wrong was sighted from over the horizon.

But still, something was…different.

The skies were still blue, as was the ocean below him. The clouds were white, tinged with grey with rain to come.

"What are you looking for?" someone asked, which caused Axel to lose his footing for a mere second, but a hand reached out to hold onto him before he fell to his peril.

His breath left him, "Don't do that!" he shouted out as he turned his eyes towards the person who may have caused his premature death.

The blond stared at the other with wide blue eyes before they returned to a neutral expression. He let go of the red head and sank back inside the crows' nest.

The red head continued to glare into open air before his sour mood faded away, replaced with resignation.

With every other crew member still sleeping away, there was nothing that he could do by himself. Even with Roxas by his side, it would still be a feat for either of them to try and commandeer the ship with just the two of them as help.

So he sighed, stepped a little closer to the crows' nest and peered inside, "Have you been up here all night?" he asked as he crossed his arms and rested them over the edge.

"Someone has to keep watch." he reasoned.

Axel rolled his eyes, "And what a spectacular job you're doing too."

The blond frowned, "Just so you know, I _have_ been keeping watch." he spoke as he sent a side-way glare at the red head, "I heard someone come outside, so I decided to sit and take a breather. Sorry for trying to keep everybody alive." he spat out as he turned his head away, determined not to look in the red head's direction.

Axel sighed again. Things were going backwards between them. From good, to bad, to worse. And they had gotten along so well before. What changed?

"Even if you saw something in the distance, it's not as though the crew is able enough to defend themselves." the red head spoke as he propped his chin over his arms.

Roxas scoffed, "You'd be surprised at how able people would react in the face of danger."

The red head nodded, and found himself agreeing, "True…" he finished softly as he gazed down at the blond boy sitting on the floor of the crows' nest.

What was a boy his age doing on a pirate ship anyway? Not like he was one to talk, but that's besides the point.

"How old are you anyway?" the red head started again, "You don't seem older than fifteen perhaps."

"Sixteen." was the miffed reply.

Axel merely shrugged and changed the subject, "What made you decide to be a pirate?"

"I didn't have a home." the blond started, a little unsure why he even answered such a question, but he decided that his was his way of trying to repay a debt that he owed, "My parents were killed when I was young."

And their conversation suddenly took a dark turn, making the red head feel horribly uncomfortable about the new situation, "Oh…I'm sorry."

"It's ok. It was a long time ago." he decided with a shrug as he turned to the red head, "What about you?"

Axel could see how tired the blond looked, by the way his eyes didn't seem to shine as bright, his hair faded, his whole posture radiating off exhaustion. He sighed, and gave a slight shrug to go with his reply, "I wanted to run away. So run away I did."

The blond gave a soft hum that bordered on a chuckle, and curiously the red head turned to Roxas, "Something funny?"

"No…" he spoke softly, his eyes focused on nothing in particular on the wooden cage that surrounded him, "I had a friend who ran away once."

Red eyebrows were raised, curiosity at its peak, "Oh?"

"He never came back." he spoke softly as he turned his eyes to the endless sky.

Axel felt horrible for the blond. So young and already having so many burdens on his shoulder. It wasn't fair.

"I guess my friend must be feeling the same way." the red head started as he rested his cheek on his arms, his gaze averted to the horizon where the sky met the sea and created harmony.

"Hm?" the blond hummed in question as he turned to look up at the red head.

"I had a friend whom I left behind because I wanted to start a new life." Axel reasoned with a soft sigh filled with regret.

The blond felt even more worn out than he had felt minutes ago. Who knew thinking of such depressing thoughts could make one so…drained.

Roxas gave a quiet sigh as he watched the blue skies and thought of his best friend whom he could no longer remember.

"I wonder how he is…" they spoke simultaneously and turned to each other in surprise before lips started to turn upwards and laughter escaped their throats.

Axel pushed himself off the edge of the crows' nest and tumbled his way inside, all the while still laughing along with the blond. But despite the small space, the crows' nest was only built for one person at any given time, they felt comfortable.

"He might be out there thinking of you too." the blond spoke as he adjusted to a better position within the now cramped space, a smile on his face.

"Yeah, maybe he might be thinking how much he misses you." Axel spoke as he rested his arms above his knees and grinned at Roxas.

And then they thought, maybe…they had a lot more in common than they had assumed.

* * *

_It had been hours since the raid of the pirates and the destruction which they had brought down upon them. It had been hours since the pronounced death of his parents._

_He had no one else._

"_I'm sorry, child." the man spoke with sorrow in his eyes, "But don't worry, we will care for you."_

_He didn't want that man to look after him. He wanted his parents. He wanted his mother, his father, his--_

"…_--." he whispered urgently and immediately dashed off into the distance._

_Vaguely, he could hear somebody behind him calling out to him, begging him to come back, please come back. But he didn't listen, he needed to look for his friend. Was he ok?_

_Through the rubble of the town, the crumbling buildings and blood stained alleyways, he ran. Ran and ran and never stopped until he came upon a house. A house which was reduced to almost nothing._

"_--!!" he shouted out and ran towards the broken down door and forced his way inside._

_Every direction he turned, nobody was there. He called the name out again. Again and again, and again._

_But no reply was made._

_He fell to his knees._

_First, his mother was taken from him. Then his father, and now his best friend was no where in sight._

_He was all alone._

"_Don't leave me, --…"_

* * *

He couldn't recall much about his childhood. Not many of them were fond memories. And whatever fond memories he _did_ have, he erased them all; in favor for revenge.

One day, he remembered, he had everything in the world.

Loving parents, a best friend, food and shelter and clothes to wear, everything he could ever ask from the world.

And then the next day, his parents were dead, his best friend vanished, into thin air. Everything he had was stripped away from him and he was left with nothing.

How could the world be so cruel to one small child?

"Riku."

The silver haired boy hummed in reply and turned his head to the speaker, despite that his eyes were still gazing into the ocean quite contentedly.

"What are you thinking of?" the brunet asked curiously, having already recovered from the slight hangover he received from last's night ventures.

"Can't remember." he reasoned, only being half-true.

He wanted to remember, yet, at the same time, he didn't want to remember at all. None of it, all of it.

But some things were better left forgotten, buried deep within the closet, left to rot with the skeletons.

Sora sighed as he continued to stare at the silver haired boy all the while listening to the ongoing conversations around him.

It would seem that Roxas and Axel were speaking to each other. No, it wasn't just that. They were laughing, they were joking, and they played poker with Luxord and everybody else.

Sora didn't know what happened last night, being completely drunk half the time, but nothing much should've transpired between them to cause their relation to go from mere acquaintances to best friends in a single night.

"One problem solved, another appears." the brunet mumbled to himself as he stared at Riku, who seemed fixed on staring at the rolling waves beneath them, "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked almost suddenly.

The silver haired boy sighed, "Nothing to talk about."

Sora frowned, "Don't lie to me." he spoke as he took hold of Riku's arm, much to the silver haired boy's surprise, and dragged him to a secluded spot within the ship's hold, "We're alone now, we can talk. About anything you want."

Riku sighed again, exasperated this time, "There's nothing to talk about…"

That wasn't entirely true. He didn't just want to talk, he wanted to ask questions. Lots and lots of it. But he didn't know how to go about asking it without making himself seem too forward.

Death was a sensitive subject after all.

Sora frowned, and crossed his arms over his chest, not at all pleased with how stubborn the older boy was being.

Riku sighed again, "Fine." he grumbled out as he sat atop one of the many barrels that were strewn about the place, "I was thinking of home."

The brunet suddenly remembered and suddenly realized.

Oh, that was right. They first met on the back beach of Tortuga island and there were now going back. He grinned, "Don't worry, you'll be back home soon."

"An orphanage was never much of a home." the silver haired boy reasoned as he rested his elbow on his knee and covered his mouth with his hand.

Sora felt guilty. True, his parents were killed and he was left without a home or shelter, had Jack not found them when he did, who knows where he and Roxas could've ended up?

"You can stay with us if you want." the brunet offered as he kept his gaze to the floor. He'd feel bad if Riku decided to leave. They had grown onto each other, despite that their first meeting had been quite turbulent.

The offer was tempting, very much so. But the silver haired boy wasn't too sure if this was what he wanted to do.

It was true that he hadn't planned out on what he would do after he had completed his revenge, if he didn't die along the way of doing it, but Riku had been thinking of just retiring back at home, find someone to marry and have children of his own.

Such was a way of a normal life, he assumed.

The silver haired boy smiled, "Tempting, but I'll have to say no…"

And then, Sora suddenly felt as though he just lost his best friend.

* * *

What a sad, sad chapter for Sora.


	11. Disbelief

-sigh- Another chapter with another complete do-over.

* * *

_He couldn't believe his eyes._

_The place which he had once thought of as home, was no more. The house which he had once live in was reduced to rubble. His parents dead, killed while he had been gone and away._

_It was true that he had never liked them much, but never once had he wished for such a horrible fate to be casted down upon them._

_He couldn't believe what he was seeing._

_He had only been gone for a few months. Half a year at most!_

_Yet, here was the proof that time never stood still, even as he was off 'adventuring' in the sevens seas along with his brother._

_Cautiously, he approached the decrepit place he once called home and stepped through the broken down door._

_Dried blood painted the walls, scorched marks were visible on the doors. Furniture were tossed and turned and splintered. Everything was different. The only thing that hadn't yet changed was perhaps the fire place. But then, the pot which his ma used to always cook stew in was split in half._

_What force could've made a pot, made from iron and steel, completely break in half?_

"_What are you doing here, boy?" somebody asked with a gruff voice._

_He turned and stared at the new voice, fear and sadness evident within his eyes, "This was my home."_

_The man sighed, "Sorry for your loss boy. There's nothing left here." he spoke, "Whatever was still usable was probably taken by those who were spared a horrible death."_

_He frowned as he turned to accuse the older man, "Are you one of them?"_

_The man shook his head, regret, "No. I take not from those who have moved on."_

_The boy frowned and began his walk away from a house that was no longer a house. There was nothing else there for him. Somebody else was waiting for him._

_But…is he still there?_

* * *

A sigh escaped his lips as he gazed over the waters of the sea, an island within their sight but still so very far away.

Had the winds been in their favor, they would've reached their destination by now, but it would seem as though it wanted to strand them in the middle of the ocean, with one cannon short and the rum storage practically empty.

This was the second day in a row that they were forced to lift the canvas and weigh anchors before the sun even decided to sleep.

It would be treacherous to sail in the dark night. Who knows what could be lurking within the waters; hidden coral, rocks, shoals, or maybe deep sea creatures, even though those are merely myths.

It was boring, to be marooned in the ocean, their goal in sight yet so far it can't be reached.

"Do you ever feel like you're missing something?" the red head asked, his eyes fixed on that small dot of island ahead of them.

"Plenty of times." the blond reasoned, feeling just as bored at the red head. "Why?" he asked curiously as he turned to the other.

They would've gone to seek Luxord out for a game of poker, but nothing's ever fun when played sober. And with Jack on rum-patrol, they couldn't even get a sip.

Axel shrugged, "I'm not sure. I just feel like there's something missing in my life."

There were many instances when he thought he figured out what he was missing, but after much thinking and pondering, he realized that it was never the right case.

"We've all felt that way; at one point in our lives or another." Roxas spoke as he got up and leaned his back on the railing instead. Having his chest pushed up again the wood was starting to take a toll on his breathing.

The red head hummed in reply.

There was something nagging at him, from the very back of his mind. But no matter how hard he tried to concentrate on that nagging and constant bickering, it would never let him get close enough for him to figure it out.

He could feel it. Whenever he got too close, it moved away and it would scold him for not trying harder.

'You keep baiting me forward, but you won't even let me get close to you.'

"What?"

"Huh?"

"What did you say about me baiting you forward?" the blond asked, a little twinge of anger in his voice.

The red head widened his eyes in surprise, he hadn't known that he had spoken his thoughts out loud, "Nothing, I was just thinking to myself." he spoke, "I hadn't realized that I was thinking aloud." he reasoned and hoped that Roxas would understand.

The blond tilted his head to the side a little, scrutinizing the red head through blue eyes. "Who were you thinking about?" he asked, a little curious, a little skeptical.

Axel made a slight face, unsure how to go about his current situation, but gave in, "It's not so much as _who_, but more like _what_."

Roxas raised an eyebrow in question, almost as though he understood, but not willing to admit it, "What?"

The red head sighed, "I assume that my conscience is trying to tell me something. Just _what_, I'm not sure."

The blond hummed as he averted his gaze and turned his head away, "It happens to all of us. You're not the only one." he reasoned with a slight shrug as he turned to regard the red head again, "Is this connected to the first question you asked me?"

Axel gave a barely visible nod of the head, "In a way."

Roxas gave another hum as he turned his head away again and stared up at the blue, cloudless sky, "What is it connected to?" he found himself asking.

The red head gave a quiet exhale and pondered on the question. What was it connected to? He wasn't entirely sure. He just knew that he was missing something, but it wasn't until just recently that he realized how much it was affecting him.

"Maybe…" he started off slowly, "Maybe it's connected to something from my childhood." and then he scoffed, "Not that I remember much of it."

Silence.

The blond hadn't said a word or made a sound that he had acknowledged Axel's word, but when the red head turned to Roxas, he saw that the boy was left in a contemplative state which brought a tinge of worry from within him.

"Roxas?"

"I don't recall much of my so-called childhood," the blond started almost suddenly, "But even if I try, most of it is too…vague. It's hard to tell if it never happened or if it even happened at all."

Axel continued to stare at the blond through wide green eyes. In a way, he hadn't been expecting Roxas to start talking about his past out of the blue, but in another way, he sort of wanted to find out more.

Maybe they had something else in common, and they could help each other out.

The red head let out a long hum mixed in with a sigh, "Huh…You know what?"

Roxas turned to stare at the older boy with slightly raised eyebrows.

"I think it's the same thing for me." he spoke as he turned his gaze to the ocean, his mind unfocused, his eyes fixed on a lone cloud hovering above the island of Tortuga.

* * *

_The island, which used to be so full of life, with children running the streets of the market, sometimes stealing from unsuspecting vendors of the fruit stalls, was now half-dead and broken._

_Decrepit buildings were seen left and right, splintered wood littered the floor. Cannons, bullets, stakes, pitchforks, bloodied weapons, they were everywhere._

_It sickened him to the core._

_But he wasn't so much as sickened by the sight as he was filled to the brim with dread and worry. Yet, he couldn't force himself to walk faster, get there quicker._

_He was afraid, much too afraid to do anything but just walk, and take in the horrible sight around him._

_There were people around, crying and mourning and cursing._

_There were children around, some older than him, most younger than him. Some cried, wishing for their mother or father who had already passed on, some cursed whatever unknown deity in the clouds for the unfairness of it all._

_But each of these people, they were the people that he was searching for._

_None of them was the person he was looking for._

_Is he still here?_

_Is he safe? _

_Is he ok?_

_Please be ok._

_He felt his steps go faster, he felt his heart thump in his chest at a quicker pace, his breathing grew shallow and hurried with each foot he placed in front of the other._

_Soon, he found himself running._

_Running past broken down homes, past dead people that still littered the streets, past every memory he had once shared with his best friend._

_--. Please still be here, please be ok, please be safe._

_He begged to whatever God was watching the in heaven._

_He hated himself. _

_He should've never left. Should've stayed. If not for him, then for his best friend. _

_But staying wasn't what he wanted to do._

_He should've brought his best friend along. Should've gone to his best friend's house and made him pack too, go on an adventure together._

_Best friends forever._

_Right?_

_He ran._

_Up the beaten walk path that led to a house that could barely stand with it's depleted structure, he held his breath._

_This was it. The moment of truth._

_All the answers to his questions._

_--? Are you still here? Are you ok? Are you safe?_

_The door. The door was open, left ajar where the wind and dead leaves and dead grass could enter the house._

_He remembered the mother. Who always swept the floors and kept the house neat and clean and orderly._

_The chair that sat on the porch, with broken legs and broken arms and a broken back. It was no longer usable._

_He remembered the father. A man who was a skilled builder. A man who loved to make things with his hands and gift them to his beloved family who he loved so much and would do anything to protect them and give them a life of luxury._

_Now, all was left was a broken house._

_He walked past the broken chair, past the broken door and stepped inside the broken house._

_He lost his breath. And in his time of weakness, his memories played with him. _

"Axel, so nice to have you visit again." the mother would greet.

_No, that wasn't right._

_When he blinked and looked again, she had faded to dust and she was gone._

_He heard something behind him, and when he looked, he was left speechless._

"Axel, my boy, would you like to help me build a chair for --?" the man asked as he held up a tool and waved it around.

_For who? He asked himself, confused, and curious all at once. He couldn't remember suddenly._

_But before he could ask, the man faded to dust, much like the woman, and they were gone._

_No…this couldn't be._

_This was his second home. _

_His home away from home. His best friend's mother whom he treated like his own mother. His best friend's father, whom he liked to have as his own father._

_But now, nobody was here. And all he could see was death behind every door, lurking in every corner._

_He took in a deep breath, and shouted, "--!!"_

_That wasn't right. Why wasn't his voice working? Why couldn't he remember his best friend's name? Whom he had left behind when he shouldn't have._

"_--as!!"_

_There it was. His voice. He could hear it, he could feel it. He could almost remember._

"_--xas!!" he shouted out again, desperation behind his voice. "Where are you!!"_

_He dashed through the doors, peeked into every room, searched under every nook and cranny, all the while shouting a name that he could only half remember._

"_-oxas!!"_

_Almost there. So close, so close, yet…_

_He heaved, frustrated, anxious, drained and so filled with sorrow. And with one final try, he mustered everything he had from within and shouted with all his might._

"_ROXAS!! WHERE ARE YOU!!"_

"_He's not here anymore Axel."_

_He gasped as he whirled around and spotted his brother, "What?" he asked, his voice weak from all that shouting and searching._

"_He's gone."_

_He shook his head, he didn't want to believe it, "No…"_

_Anger, sadness, sorrow, frustration, "He's dead! Get over it!"_

"_NO!"_

_And he ran away._

* * *

He awoke with a gasp, heaving for air, feeling as though he just ran for miles and miles without bothering to stop, not even for a breather.

His dream, so vivid, so clear, so familiar.

Not just a distant memory.

But it confused him.

He furrowed his eyebrows, tried to calm his rapidly beating heart.

That wasn't right…was it?

"Roxas?" he spoke softly as he turned his head to the sleeping blond not three feet away from him.

It couldn't be…

* * *

AH-HA!! Finally some connection huh??


	12. Remembering

Ahh man, that last chapter was nice…-grins-

* * *

_There was no where for him to go. No one to turn to, no place for him to call home any longer._

_He walked the streets, lost, and confused. Feeling as though the world had tilted on its axis and he couldn't find a safe haven._

_His mother, whom he had loved dearly, who loved him dearly, was no more. Gone, taken, ripped away from his finger tips._

_His father, who had tried so, so hard, only to be cruelly beaten down until death claimed him._

_His best friend had suddenly vanished, disappeared, gone without a trace. _

_What happened?_

_Had his best friend gone somewhere, anywhere, surely -- would've taken him too right?_

_Right?_

* * *

He felt a yawn escape him, taking with in the last of his energy.

Never in his life had he felt so drained.

It wasn't as though he had done much work. Sure he contributed to the chores of the ship every once in a while when needed, but most of the time, he'd spend it in solitude, lost in his own thoughts, in his own world.

He was tired, and wanted nothing more than to just go home, back to that orphanage that was never really his home, look after siblings that were even related to him and go back to a life of normalcy.

But now that he thought about, no longer was his life even close to normal.

Before he had met this crew, before he even joined, before he met the brunet named Sora, he had been so fixed on revenge. Thought of nothing but revenge. The blood of those who killed the ones he loved on the blade of his sword and dagger.

But now…he cared not for it anymore.

He just wanted to go home, and relax, and just…live out the rest of his life.

Maybe not back to the orphanage. One could only tolerate the sound of squabbling kids for so long.

Maybe he'd retire to the back beach of the island, build a house, or a hut and stay there forever. Without fear or pirates, not that he was unable to look after himself if one day they decided to come pillage his home and steal all of his belongings.

Without another care in the world.

But…

Why did it make him feel just a little…off at that thought?

Maybe being by himself isn't going to be enough.

That was probably it. He could feel it in his heart.

He didn't want to be alone. But who could he stay with? It wasn't as though there was anyone out there in the world that he was fated to be with. Or maybe there was, perhaps, just on another island or another country altogether.

Riku sighed again, feeling tired and drained. He didn't want to think anymore, but there was nothing else for him to do _but_ think.

He never thought being a pirate would be so…boring. Or maybe it was just this particular captain and this motley crew that were boring.

"Ugh…So bored." someone groaned from beside him.

The silver haired boy quirked up an eyebrow as he turned his head to stare at the brunet beside him, "Hm?"

"Aren't you bored? I'm bored!" Sora groaned again, making pathetic faces at no one and nothing in particular, "This is ridiculous."

Riku rolled his eyes as he turned his attention else where, hearing Sora moan and groan about every little thing wasn't exactly 'fun' either.

"I cannot believe this." he muttered out as he rested on his knees and managed to get his chin to rest on the edge of the railings all the while huffing, "Three days stuck out in the middle of the ocean with Tortuga only some miles away and no bloody wind."

Riku smirked, "Are you that desperate to get rid of me?"

Sora sputtered as he stumbled up to his feet, "I never implied that! I'm just saying that just _waiting_ for something to happen gets really boring."

The silver haired boy rolled his eyes, "I was joking."

"Oh…" the brunet relaxed a little, and then crossed his arms, putting on a little frown, "Well, ha-ha, very funny."

Riku shook his head as his eyes focused on the far-off island of Tortuga. Soon, he would be home. But that wouldn't be the right term anymore. It never felt like home. Not since…

He sighed again.

"What are you thinking about?" Sora asked as he relaxed his arms over the railing of the ship and stared over the edge. Through the blue waters, sometimes, if he was lucky enough, he'd catch a glimpse of passing fish.

The silver haired boy hummed in reply; a little unsure if he should share whatever it was that was on his mind. Not all thoughts are good thoughts.

Then he remembered, "It doesn't feel like very long ago that we crossed paths, and swords." he brought up, unaware of the look that the brunet was giving him, "Yet, at the same time, it feels as though we've known each other for years."

Sora grinned, "Are you going to miss me when you leave?"

Riku smirked, "Hardly." he lied.

"The offer still stands you know."

His smirk faded away, his expressions neutral, "Tempting, but I don't think this is the kind of life that I would want." he explained, all the while trying to convince himself and Sora at the same time.

Thinking about it, staying with them would probably be far more exciting than staying on the back beach of a rinky-dink island.

The brunet sighed as he turned away and jutted out his lower lip, "If you say so…"

He didn't want Riku to leave, but it wasn't as though he could force him to stay either. It wasn't his place. But still, that didn't mean that he wouldn't miss the silver haired boy.

It was fun while it lasted.

"Sora."

He kept his eyes glued to the waters and spotted a fish just beneath the surface, "Yes?"

"I've been thinking…" the silver haired boy paused.

The fish disappeared back into the dark depths just as the brunet turned to regard the other, "Yes…?"

A soft sigh, "You've told me before that you lost your parents."

The brunet nodded, albeit slowly.

"If it bothers you, we can stop talking about it." the silver haired boy offered, feeling a little uncomfortable about it himself.

"I'll be ok. At least we have some common ground right?" Sora reasoned with his usual grin and Riku couldn't help but roll his eyes at the smile.

"When…did it happen?" he asked, careful to pick the right words to say.

The brunet shrugged, "When Roxas and I were young. I don't remember when. It's not something I'm fond of remembering."

The silver haired boy merely nodded at the answer.

"All I _can_ remember is that…" he paused, suddenly remembering a bit of his past, "Me and Roxas were alone, and then we found Jack." he smiled softly, "Ah well, it was more like _Jack_ found _us_." he finished with a slight smirk.

Riku hummed, and almost half wished that someone found him too, "You were one of the lucky ones…" and truly, he was. To be taken in by one of the most notorious, infamous, clumsy and idiotic when drunk captain.

"I guess we were…" he spoke with a soft smile before he turned to regard the silver haired boy, "What about you?"

Riku kept quiet, trying to reorganize his memory and failing horribly at it.

The only thing he could remember about his so-called childhood was that he had three things. His mother, his father, and a best friend whom he could no longer remember.

"I suppose you could say that the same thing happened to me," he paused, "Only I ended up in an orphanage instead." not that he would willingly follow the path of a pirate after what he saw them do to his mother and father.

Sora sighed, albeit sadly, "If it means anything, I'm sorry."

Riku smiled softly as he turned to the brunet, finding the words to mean the whole world to him, "Me too."

Sora grinned, happy that they were somehow able to find out a little bit more about each other, "Are we friends?"

The question surprisingly caught the silver haired boy off, but he answered all the same, "I suppose we are."

* * *

_He stared at a home which was empty of its prior residents. It didn't feel like a long time ago that he had been here, sharing lunch and playing around with his best friend._

_Memories were around every corner. And if he tried hard enough, he could've sworn he could still hear them. Right in front of him._

"Come on! I wanna play hide and seek!" the boy shouted out as he hopped off his stool, his lunch only half eaten but already forgotten, and ran out towards the door.

He couldn't help but follow. But not before he called out to the mother of his best friend, "Thank you for the food!"

"It's nothing at all." she smiled, "Look after my son for me."

"I will!" he smiled and ran after his best friend.

_That had been not even a week before today. How could so much have changed during such a short period of time?_

_He sighed angrily as he got off the dirty floor, didn't bother to brush the debris from his clothes before he stormed out of the house with so many memories and walked away._

_It was so unfair._

_And in the middle of his thoughts, he failed to notice a small piece of rubble along his path. It had been small, but it was enough for his footing to slip and let him tumble down the grassy hill leading into a small backyard which nobody ever ventured into._

_He groaned, unhappy about his current predicament as he gingerly rubbed his head and looked around._

_It was nothing uncommon, the whole area. Bushes, trees, weeds, and flowers._

_But the more he looked, the more he realized that this was the place where he had first met --._

_That had been when he was six years old. Curious, and always adventuring into the deep unknown._

_His memories played tricks on him. He could hear wailing, despite that he was all alone. In the middle of nowhere._

_Alone. Completely and utterly so._

"Mama…" a boy cried.

The sound greatly confused him. He thought he had been all alone. He thought he was in a different world. A different island. Apparently not.

"Ma…" a hiccup, "Maa…"

Curious, and only just slightly worried, the boy followed the noise, punctuated with the occasional hiccups, until he came upon a boy, perhaps just a little younger than him, with a scrapped knee and teary eyes.

"Mama?"

"I'm not your mother…" he frowned.

But it wasn't the right answer and the boy began to cry harder and louder than before which caused him panic.

"Shh! Stop crying!" he cried out as he rushed towards the small boy and hoped the other would stop wailing about. The noise was horrendous.

He saw the tears, spilling from the boy's shut eyes, and the missing tooth from the bottom jaw, and the pink cheeks from all the constant rubbing.

Then he saw the scrapped knee, just slightly bleeding.

He didn't know what to do, not really anyway. But when he remembered about his mother, who would always coo when he fell, she would wrap his knee in cloth and kiss it better.

He had just the thing.

Quickly, he pulled out the handkerchief which his mother always told him to bring but he never used from his pocket, and wrapped it around the boy's just slightly bleeding knee.

"Better?" he asked once he noticed that the boy stopped crying.

"…No…" his voice shook and he hiccupped once more.

He sighed, and then leaned down, placed the lightest of kisses on top of the cloth and pulled away, "Better?" he asked, hoping it worked.

The boy sniffed, hiccupped once more, and then slowly nodded, "Yes…"

He inwardly let out a relieved sigh, happy that the bad situation was finally over, "Ok, let's get you home." he spoke as he stood up and brushed off the leaves that got stuck on his pants.

Just as he was about to walk away, a small hand grabbed onto his and he turned around to stare into tear-stained blue eyes.

"I'm --" the boy said.

A little lost for words, he didn't know what else to say but his own name, "I'm Riku."

The boy smiled, "Are we friends?" the boy asked curiously as he walked until he was right beside the other boy.

He shrugged, "I guess so."

He smiled at him and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Let's go Riku!" he cried out in glee as he ran ahead, all his pain, worries and fears gone with the wind.

The sudden loss of contact frightened him just a little. He didn't want -- to suddenly fall over and cry again. "Wait! --!"

_He could hear laughter surrounding him, but no matter where he looked, there was nobody there. There was no --a around._

_His best friend, whom he had first met at the age of six and had been inseparable as brothers since then._

_First it was his mother…then his father. And now his best friend._

_Never in his life had he felt so lost before. He felt hurt, pained, fearful and worried for his future. Was he even going to have a future?_

_Just as he tried to move, he felt something sting his knees, and as he gingerly pulled up the hem of his pants, he saw that he had scrapped his knees, both of them, but it wasn't enough to make them bleed._

_He was injured, but there was nobody around to wrap it up and kiss it better._

_He felt tears gather from the corners of his eyes, but he was too strong for tears. He never cried. Somebody needed to be strong for -ra. And he took it upon himself to be strong for --ra._

_He felt something tremble from within him. He felt his vision blur and the corners of his lips turn down and shake with suppressed tears._

_Everything that he ever did was always for -ora. And now with him gone, along with his parents; never in his life had he felt so…fragile and lost and confused._

_For the first time since the age of five. He cried. _

"…_Sora, I miss you…"_

* * *

He woke up feeling nothing but pain. Raw pain from his heart that thumped and ached in his chest.

Something trembled from within him, like an earthquake or a disaster waiting to happen.

All the time that he had spent trying to remember pieces of a life he had wished he had forgotten were now remembered.

He sat up in his bed, a hand over his heart, his thoughts racing like no tomorrow.

Then he heard someone laugh. A familiar sound.

And he turned to see the brunet sleeping on a hammock hovering just barely a foot above the floor, one leg over the edge, one arm over his stomach, his hair messy and everywhere.

He hadn't changed a bit. Not since they had first met when they were six.

And the suddenly, all the thoughts, dreams, it all made sense now…

But why did it take him so long to remember a best friend who he thought was dead?

"…Sora…"

* * *

It's all coming together now.

-rubs hands together-

Excellent…


	13. Uncertain

ANOTHER COMPLETE MAKE-OVER! HOW LOVELY!! -moans-

* * *

He didn't know what he was supposed to do, ever since he found out his connection with Roxas.

They had been friends. Best friends even.

He was happy that he finally found the friend whom he had felt so dearly for, but at the same time, he was a little afraid at how the blond might react.

It had been a few mere hours ago that he found out and realized his deeper connection with the blond, but how was he supposed to go about the situation?

Roxas probably still couldn't remember, but if he _did_ remember, how would he react to the new situation? Their acquaintance bordering on friendship now bordering on something more.

The red head used the whole morning to gather whatever courage he had to speak with the blond, but whenever he got too close, he always ended up walking away at the very last second.

_I can't do it. It's too hard. I can't do this._

And he found it fitting because he had always been running away when things or situations got too hard or too tough for him to handle.

Like when home was too much for him to bear and he preferred running away instead and leaving Roxas behind to go through life without him.

Then blue eyes met his green and he found himself short on breath.

"Why…are you staring at me…?" the blond asked with a raised eyebrow.

"…No reason…" he lied, a little awkward on the inside and embarrassed on the outside. He hadn't meant to stare.

"Right…" he rolled his eyes and went back to looking over the ocean.

They were nearing the docks of Tortuga, and soon they would be making berth and doing whatever it is that they needed to be doing. Buying rum, an extra cannon, some food for the next, new voyage…

They needed to talk. _He_ needed to talk. He _needed _to talk.To Roxas.

There wasn't much time left, he could feel it. It was running out, and quickly too.

But before he knew it, they found themselves walking off the ship and onto the docks of Tortuga and going into separate directions. Demyx and a few others headed off to the markets. Jack and Gibbs and a few others chose to go towards the bar. While the brothers chose to go in their own direction, leaving a few other people, himself included, behind to look after the ship.

"Roxas." he spoke softly, his voice bordering on pleading desperation.

_Please remember me._

He didn't want to be left behind. He wanted to talk to Roxas. But before he could even get a foot off the Black Pearl, someone already beat him to it.

"Excuse me." the silver haired spoke after he accidentally brushed past the red head in a small attempt to catch up to the brunet and the blond.

He watched from afar as Riku spoke to Sora, leaving Roxas to look somewhat confused and a little wary. But eventually, the brunet chose to leave with the silver haired boy, leaving the blond to fend for himself.

Roxas did not look pleased. In fact, he looked mildly ticked off. But even that was too soft a word to describe the other.

The red head sighed, gathered whatever courage he had in the bottom of his stomach and walked towards the blond, leaving the ship for Shammy, Mr. Cotton and his parrot to look after.

"Roxas." he called out, a little anxious, as he walked towards the said person, "Where are you going?" he asked, just for the sake of normalcy.

"Been planning to go to the beach with my brother, but he chose to go speak with Riku instead." he sighed irritably.

"Oh, well…" he felt awkward all of a sudden, but the beach was the perfect place to talk. Isolated, and alone, with no distractions what so ever, "Would you like to go with me instead?" he asked, hoping he didn't look as embarrassed as he felt.

The blond raised an eyebrow at the questioning behavior that the red head was showing, but he decided to shrug it off, "Ok. There's not much else to do on this island." he reasoned as he began his walk.

The red head watched as the blond walked away from him. Shoulders straight, head held high.

Then blue eyes met his green, "Are you coming or what?"

"Right." he spoke as he started after the blond and the both of them fell into an even walking pace.

* * *

"So, what did you want to talk about?" the brunet asked as he chose an empty dock to sit upon and swing his legs to and fro over the water.

The silver haired boy contemplated how to go about the situation without trying to make things seem too obvious and out of the ordinary. But he was desperate to know.

Does Sora remember him? Probably not…but it didn't hurt to try.

"How much do you remember about your childhood?" he asked as he stood a small ways away from the brunet who was happily sitting over the edge of the wooden docks.

Sora hummed as he tried to think of his reply, "Well…Pre-Jack or Post-Jack?" he asked with a grin.

"…Before you met Jack."

"Nothing." he replied without missing a beat.

Riku furrowed his eyebrows, that hadn't been the answer he was looking for. He felt disheartened to continue.

The brunet made a soft hum, "Well, actually, that's not quite true…"

Riku wasn't sure how he was to encourage Sora to continue without making himself seem too enthusiastic, "Yes?"

"I remember I used to play hide and seek all the time." he spoke with a childish grin, "I was horrible at it."

The silver haired boy laughed and chose to sit down by the brunet on the docks, the tips of his shoe almost touching the rolling ocean waves, "Anything else?"

"I can't…really remember actually." he spoke as he turned to the other, "Why do you ask?" he asked curiously.

Riku gave a soft sigh as he kept his gaze on the edge of the wooden dock, peering over to the blue waters, a small smile playing on his lips.

It all made sense now.

"You see…I've recently remembered a little bit more about my past."

"Really? Tell me more about it." he asked enthusiastically.

"There…was a time, before the death of my parents." which was a topic he would wholly avoid for the moment, "I used to play around the island a lot."

Sora laughed, "For some reason, I find that unbelievable."

"Why?" he asked with an incredulous smile, "Is it so hard to believe that I was a child once?"

"Yes." the brunet replied honestly which earned him a roll of the eyes from the silver haired boy.

Riku continued on, "I had a friend once."

"Once?" he raised an eyebrow, a half smirk on his face, "Surely you've had more than _one_ friend _once_."

He agreed with a slight shrug, "Ok, I had two friends, but it was mainly one."

Sora rolled his eyes, still finding the whole story unbelievable, but then again, it wasn't as though he had a past of his own to compare with.

"He and I always used to play hide and seek. He was horrible at it. Much like you."

_Completely like you…_

The brunet listened intently, suddenly finding the other's past quite interesting. And somewhat familiar.

"He always accused me of cheating. Which was not true. He was just horribly at seeking." he spoke with a slight roll of his eyes.

Sora frowned, finding the story more than just a little interesting. It reminded him of dreams that were always vague and sketchy whenever he woke up the morning after, but now, it seemed so clear.

Riku was still talking, but Sora wasn't listening.

He was watching his past replay in front of his very eyes. Every word the other spoke, he could remember it clear as day. As though it was only just yesterday that he was five, he fell down the hill of his house and injured his knee.

He cried, but a boy found him and they played hide and seek.

That boy. His name was…

"Riku, why are you telling me this?" he asked softly, carefully.

He stopped, and took a moment before choosing to speak, his eyes focused on the rolling waves that disappeared beneath the docks, "…I was hoping…that maybe…perhaps." he paused, no longer willing to continue but did so anyway, "That you were the friend whom I had lost before. Whom I had thought was dead."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" he asked, his voice so quiet, it almost seemed like a whisper.

"I told you, it was only very recently that I even found out about it myself." he reasoned. Feeling somewhat ashamed all of a sudden.

Maybe it had been best he hadn't even brought it up in the first place.

"Riku."

The silver haired boy fought back a sigh, and then slowly turned his head to regard the brunet, only to be completely surprised by the teary eyes he was receiving from the other, "Why are you crying?"

He hiccupped, allowing more tears to run freely, "I've missed you."

Riku drew his eyebrows together, he hadn't meant to bring Sora to tears, he hadn't expected tears at all, "D-don't cry."

Truth be told, Riku was used to crying kids, but a crying Sora was something he has forced himself to forget ever since he lost him all those years ago.

Another hiccup.

And then a sudden lurch forward, a weight around his waist, and he found himself falling over the edge of the dock into the waters.

"Sora!" he cried out in panic as he tried to regain balance.

_SPLASH!_

The both of them sputtered and heaved deep breaths as they held onto the pole that held up the docks and kept it together.

They stared at each other, Sora with his teary eyes, Riku feeling soaked to the bone, and then they smiled, and then they laughed.

The silver haired boy smirked as he splashed a bit of sea water on the brunet, "I've missed you too."

* * *

So far, things between them were quiet. Awkwardly so. To Axel anyway. Roxas didn't seem to mind so much, he seemed to actually enjoy the silence.

He needed to talk to Roxas. But _what_? He didn't want to just start in the middle of nowhere. He wanted to start from the beginning, or somewhere close to there, and work their way forward, or something like that. More or less.

But at the slow pace that they were going, it would seem that it would be up to him to make the starting conversation once again. So he inwardly sighed and pushed himself forward, "Do you think you'll ever find out what you're missing?" the red head started almost randomly.

Roxas raised an eyebrow at the sudden question but eventually shrugged, "Don't know." he replied, "Why?" he asked as he kicked a stray seashell away, "Have you found what _you're_ missing?"

Slowly, Axel nodded, "Yeah, I think I have."

"Oh?" his curiosity was peaked, "And what would that be?"

The red head made a slight face, a little unsure how to go about his current situation, but pushed onwards, "Not so much as _what_ as it is _who_."

"Who?" Roxas asked in question, his eyebrow raised.

He stopped walking, "Yeah…You see Roxas--"

"ROXAS!!" someone called out and the both of them turned to see a certain brunet and a certain silver haired boy run up towards them, both soaked in their clothes.

"What happened to you?" the blond shouted out, looking a little caught off guard by their sight.

Sora laughed as he slowed to a fumbling stop just inches away from his blond counterpart all the while gesturing wildly to the boy behind him, "This is Riku!"

The blond raised an eyebrow at his brother's behavior, "Yes, I know."

"No! Roxas! This is _Riku_." he tried again, completely all smiles and wide blue eyes.

Roxas still didn't quite get it.

Sora tried again, "Remember? When we were little?"

Suddenly, Axel had a very bad feeling where this conversation was suddenly turning to.

The brunet continued on, completely excited beyond belief, "I used to play with Riku all the time!"

Roxas was confused. In all the memories of his childhood, not that he remembered much, he couldn't exactly recall much about a certain silver haired boy with aquamarine eyes. What he _could_ recall however, was--

Something clicked.

Something was missing.

Something started to make sense.

It wasn't so much as _what_ as it was _who_ he could recall.

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows together, confusion written all over his face as he turned around and stared at the red head, "Axel?" the name sounding all too familiar and yet, not familiar at all, at the same time on his tongue.

Slowly, vague images of his childhood came rushing back towards him. All the running, all the laughing, all the times they played together.

"…You…kn--" he paused, his anger and sorrow suddenly bubbling up from within him, "You never told me."

The red head remained still, unsure of what to say.

And then suddenly, the atmosphere turned awkward and Sora was no longer all smiles.

"I meant--" Axel started.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Roxas asked, his tone completely accusing, sad, used.

"I tried. I was going to--" he stopped himself when he saw the blond shaking his head and taking slow, measured steps backwards. He panicked, "Wait, Roxas."

He ran.

"Roxas!" he cried out and made to follow the blond, but his legs wouldn't obey, "ROXAS!!"

It was fitting really…that he used to run away all the time. He left Roxas behind. And now, it was Roxas' turn to leave Axel behind.

* * *

Ahh!! They all remembered! FINALLY! But what is this? No happy ending yet? Of course not!

I never make things easy for Axel or Roxas.

I'm sadistic like that. -evil laugh-


	14. To Run

-wails- Oh woe was the last chapter.

* * *

He ran. That was all he could think of doing right now. Just get as far away from _Axel_ as possible.

He didn't know why he ran.

He was scared.

He was angry.

He wanted to get away.

His chest hurt, his lungs were caving in. His legs struggled to stay upright as he placed one foot in front of the other over and over again repeatedly.

He didn't want to think. He just ran. Ran and ran until he was away from the beach, until he was far from the markets, away from the docks.

Images passed by him in a vague blur, like all those memories that he had unwittingly suppressed when he was younger for the sake of saving his sanity. It wasn't as though he had much else to lose. His mother, father dead. His best friend gone, never to return.

Or so he thought.

Before he knew it, before he even had time to realize where his feet were taking him, he found himself slowing to a stop in front of a decrepit building he once called home.

His heart ached. And it felt like only just yesterday that everything started, everything finished, and everything began anew, all at the same time.

He didn't know how long he had been standing in front of his house for, but by the time he realized the setting sun, the cold winds blowing past, he figured that he should head back soon.

But he didn't want to, not just yet.

He also figured that Jack and everybody else who liked to drink rum would be drunk off their pirate hats with big feathers sticking out of them and wouldn't be sailing off anytime soon.

So he decided to stay.

Stay and ponder on a life that could've been but never became.

* * *

"_Why did you do that?" the boy asked with crossed arms, a little hint of anger noticeable from his tone._

* * *

He paused just as soon as his feet came in contact with the wood of the patio. To his right, a broken chair, in front of him, a broken door, to his left, a broken balcony that led into the grass.

He walked towards the left, towards the broken balcony, towards the grass.

Grass which has grown over the years, uncared for.

* * *

_He said nothing as he continued to frown at the grass that surrounded him, little bubbles of anger fluttering in his stomach waiting to pop and burst._

"_Why did you do that?" the boy in front of him asked again, his tone bordering on impatient._

* * *

He walked past the splintered wood, careful to treat them with caution or lest he be splintered in return.

He paused as soon as he stepped onto the grass, the blades brushing against the exposed skin of his legs, the tips high enough to reach his fingers.

He turned and walked through the grass, his hand reaching out to touch the decrepit building as he walked beside it. Soon he came upon a spot which was all too familiar and all too foreign to him, a spot just outside the window of his bedroom, and he sat below it.

There was grass everywhere, the dirt suffocated beneath it.

* * *

_He said nothing as he continued to frown at the grass at the tip of his shoes. He pulled his legs closer to his chest, his arms wrapped around his knees, the soles of his shoes dragging on the dirt floor before settling._

"_Roxas."_

"_Go away."_

* * *

He frowned as he reached out and grabbed onto the grass, a bunch of them gathered in his palm, and ripped them off from the ground.

He stared at the grass in his hand, green and soft.

Soon, his other hand joined the first and he began to rip them apart, to shreds, and threw them down onto the ground beside him, his fingers and palms stained green, evidence of the crime he had just committed.

Something was building inside of him.

* * *

_The boy frowned as he uncrossed his arms, his hands clenched into fists, and frowned at the blond boy, "Why did you do that to my friends?" he asked one more time._

_He looked away, not wanting to stare at anything that reminded him of the boy who stood in front of him in a defiant stance. He didn't want to look anywhere _near_ him._

"_Roxas!"_

"_Because I don't like them!!" he shouted, a little bubble of anger bursting inside of him, releasing the tension he could feel around his shoulders, in his head._

* * *

He trembled as bubbles continued to flutter and form inside of him.

Soon, he would overflow, but until then, they just grew.

His breath grew ragged as he continued to see red. The green of the grass just made him feel angrier with each strand that his eyes spotted.

* * *

_The boy drew his eyebrows together, looking more sad than angry, the tension in his fingers gone as blood circulation was allowed to freely flow through again, "Why?" he asked, his voice soft, hurt, pained even._

_Hearing that tone, he felt distressed, his anger dissipating and fading away to nothing, never getting the chance to pop._

"_Because…" he started, his eyes stinging and growing blurry, "You're my--"_

* * *

"Roxas."

Unwittingly, he allowed a gasp of surprise to escape him, bubbles that were growing inside of him shrunk back in surprise. That is, until he saw who it was.

"What do you want." the blond growled as he stared up at the red head, his fingers clenched on the grass beneath him, some dead, some still alive.

"I was looking for you." he spoke as he made his way through the grass and stopped just a couple of feet in front of the blond.

Roxas let out a sound that sounded like a cross between a scoff and a disbelieving laugh as he turned his head away, "What for." his green-stained fingers itching for another round of 'rip the grass to shreds'.

"I wanted to talk."

"About?" he started as he turned to glare at the red head.

"About…" he paused for a second, his eyes averting away for a short moment, before looking back at the blond and continuing on, "How much I've missed you."

Roxas scoffed again, "You never missed me." he spoke as he turned away, his tone biting, accusing, on the edge.

Axel felt something inside of him jump. Never in his life had he ever heard such a tone before. Never had he ever heard Roxas speak like that before, even in his memories, "That's not true!" the red head cried out as he took a step toward the blond, his arms reaching out for understanding, "I _did_ miss you."

Roxas scoffed, not at all believing the words of the other. They meant nothing to him now.

He managed to survive his years without the aid of his mother or father or his best friend, what's another few more years until death?

"Of course you did." he smirked, his tone completely sarcastic, "While you were out adventuring as a pirate, you always spared a thought for that little boy who was back in that little island you once called home."

The bubbles were growing, bigger and bigger and ready to pop and explode.

Axel would've retorted, opened his mouth to say something, maybe something along the lines of truth, but after thinking about it, he _had_ sort of forgotten about the blond, and no words escaped his lips.

The blond scoffed as he turned his head away and muttered, "Of course you didn't." the truth hurt. More than just a little.

"…I'm here now, am I not?"

_Pop._

Roxas snapped and stood up so quickly from the ground that Axel had to take a couple of steps back in surprise, the grass crumbling beneath his shoes.

"What in the seven seas makes you think you have _any_ place left in my life?!" he shouted, letting the words flow out without much thought.

This was it, all those years of hiding and keeping to himself all his feelings. Now he could let Axel know _exactly_ how he felt during that time that he was gone.

_Pop._

"You ran away Axel, you left me behind, you never cared, admit it!" he continued to shout, letting all his anger for all the years of loneliness that built up over time.

The red head felt the words form in his head, but his lips were too slow and soft-spoken, "That's not tru--"

_Pop._

"For six years!" he interrupted the red head, "Never _once_ did you come back." then he smirked, which threw off Axel for a second, "I suppose you forgot all about me huh? Too caught up with being a _pirate_," he spat the word out as he turned away from the red head, no longer able to even look at the other, "To even _care_ about your friend who waited by the docks day in and day out, from dusk till dawn."

"Roxas--"

"Shut up."

And Axel found his mouth snapping shut with a click of his teeth.

Everything was building up. After spend all those years forgetting and pulling down the bricks that he had unwittingly built up during the absence of the red head, it was suddenly piling up again, higher, faster, shakier.

Completely unstable.

He seethed, his breath shallow, his shoulders tense. His eyes seeing red even though he was surrounded in green.

He was so sick of feeling this way. It felt horrible the first time around, now he was just plain angry and frustrated and agitated and scorned.

Everything was bubbling up inside of him. They were bubbling so rapidly, he didn't have any time to think. He felt suffocated, surrounded, stranded.

"I hate you." the words left the blonds' mouth before he even registered the thought in his head, "I hate you for making me feel this way. I hate you for leaving. I hate you for coming back." he seethed, feeling his breath growing shorter and shorter with each word he said, "I hate you for being my friend. I hate you for being my _best_ friend. I hate you for being my best friend and my _only_ friend." he hated the fact that his voice shook at the end.

"Roxas…" he never knew he caused so much pain for the blond. He never knew how much of an impression he left behind when he decided to leave. That was cruel, heartless, even for him.

But he was a kid, what did he know?

The blond laughed, bitterly, just an act to cover his ever-failing voice, "I guess I never meant a lot to you, huh Axel." he continued to laugh, louder, crazier, "You just _packed_ your possessions and _left_ without ever looking back." and almost as soon as he started laughing, he stopped, and turned to the red head, "And back then I thought we had been such, good, _friends_." he hissed, "Guess I was wrong huh?!"

Axel felt guilty, truly he did, but this wasn't just about Roxas, it was about him too.

"I was only gone for six months."

"What?" the blond started, a little caught off guard by the comment.

"You were the one who was gone for six years…"

"Don't put the blame on me." he hissed as he fully turned his body to the red head, his stance defiant, ready for a fight.

"By the time I returned, the village was half-dead…and you were gone." his spoke softly, his features saddening at the remembrance of the memory.

It had been such a traumatic time for him. For the both of them. And it left them feeling broken and afraid for their future, if they even had one.

But now they were here, expressing everything they've felt, leaving them broken and feeling cheating because of their past, one they never got to share much of together.

"You know," a voice started, and both of them turned, with wide eyes filled with surprise and shock, to stare at the new comer, "Somehow I just _knew_ you'd be here."

The red head's mouth fell open as he continued to stare at the speaker, his eyes completely disbelieving of the sight in front of him.

It took a moment for his voice to begin working for him again, and even then, it was soft and shaky, "Reno?"

"The one and only." he smirked as he raised a hand and gave a flippant wave.

His mind was a blank, but his body felt compelled to move, and before Axel knew it, he was holding onto his brother for dear life, as though he hadn't seen him in years. Which was only half true, "I can't believe you're here."

"Believe it, because I've finally found you again." he spoke softly, with a smirk on his face as he returned the hug. Then he spotted the blond just some steps away from them, "Hey Roxas, good to see you alive and well." he grinned, one hand offering a wave while the other continued to hold onto his brother.

The blond merely nodded, a little shell-shocked about the situation, and kept silent.

"Come on Axel," he whispered with a soft smile on his face as he gently pried his brother off from clinging onto his body, "Everybody's dying to see you again." he smirked as he swung and arm across his brother's shoulder and led them away.

Roxas remained rooted to the spot, unsure of what to say, what to do as he watched both red heads walk away from him.

"Oh," Reno started again as he looked over his shoulder to the blond, "It was good to see you again Roxas." he grinned, "Maybe we'll see you another time."

The blond barely paid any attention the to other red head who was all smiles and grins, what he really cared about was that Axel was just going to leave again, and this time, without even a word of goodbye.

So this is what is has come down to?

He felt so cheated.

There Axel went, running away again, with Roxas staying behind because he didn't have the voice to shout to the other to bring him along too, just like when he was younger.

It was only now that he realized the anger he felt inside of him was gone, faded away to nothing, and what was left behind, not longer infuriated and hate, but sadness.

Roxas stared down at his hands, stained with green from the blood of the grass. He felt helpless, and completely useless.

He didn't know why he wasn't trying, not when he still might have a chance at getting Axel back into his life.

But almost as soon as he was in it, he was out as though he was never there in the first place.

* * *

Reno kept a watchful eye on the blond as they walked away and couldn't help but feel just a little sorry for him.

It wasn't Axel's fault that he came back maybe one or two months too late. It wasn't Axel's fault that he had a mind of a young teenage kid who wanted nothing more than to run away and go on an adventure. It wasn't Axel's fault that he only left Roxas behind because he had loving parents and didn't want to tear him away from that.

It wasn't his fault. Not at all.

But by the sound of their conversation, one which Reno had unwittingly ended up eavesdropping on for just a few minutes, it sounded as though Roxas was putting all the blame on him, which was completely uncalled for, and completely unfair.

"So what?" Reno started as he glanced at his younger brother, "Are you going to leave it just like that?" he asked as they continued to walk away. Their steps slow and purposeful.

He smiled softly, "There's nothing left for me there." he reasoned with a quiet voice, "But at least…I've found some amount of closure."

He sighed, not believing why his brother was doing this, "I suppose..."

_But are you happy with just that?_

* * *

Awwww, the angst!

…Gotta love it.


	15. Conflict

Oh woe was the last chapter…

* * *

One foot in front of the other, pause, back track, repeat. One foot in front of the other, pause, back track, repeat.

"Stop that."

He paid no heed to the speaker as he continued to place one foot in front of the other, pause, wring his fingers in worry and back track once again.

Maybe he shouldn't have brought up the subject of their past. It had always been quite a bit of a touchy subject for his blond brother, even if the _did_ forget, but he hadn't really thought all too much about it. He had been too excited that Riku was _here_. Flesh and blood.

In his memories, he could only barely recall a boy with red hair, one that always played with his little brother, but that was about it, nothing substantial, "I don't remember much about Axel." the brunet admitted as he continued to take steps forward, pause, and then back track.

The silver haired boy sighed as he sat on top of one of the many barrels on the docks, ready to be picked up and put onto one of the designated ships.

"He was more Roxas' friend than mine." he spoke, continuing with his one-sided conversation, "But what I don't understand is why Roxas ran away from Axel when they could've talked about it."

Riku sighed again, "Look, Sora, it's obviously something that they should sort out for themselves."

The brunet took in the silver haired boy's words, but completely bypassed it, "I don't understand why they didn't react the way we did."

He sighed once more and gave a slight roll of his eyes, "Not everybody is the same, and sometimes they just react in different ways."

Sora frowned and slowed to a stop, but continued to wring his fingers together, "True…" he started softly, his blue eyes focused on nothing in particular ahead of him. "Roxas can be a stubborn person."

He vaguely remembered when they were little; Roxas would always wait by the docks for Axel to come back. More than once, Sora would ask if he would like to join them in a game of hide and seek, but he would always refuse and merely sit and wait.

It didn't seem like too long ago that Roxas would wake up early in the morning, escape the house and run to the docks, waiting for any signs of his red headed best friend.

"I wonder how they are..." he asked softly and stopped punishing his reddening fingers.

Riku turned his head away from a moment and raised an eyebrow at a familiar sight, "Why don't you ask him?" he spoke as he nudged his head towards the new comer.

"Where?" he almost shouted as he whipped his head around, eyes searching high and low for any sign of Roxas and/or Axel.

And there, walking beside a not very familiar but still very familiar red head was Axel, and Sora couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the odd sight. Who was that?

Quickly, leaving Riku behind to later catch up, the brunet ran up to the two red heads and slowed to a stop when one of them, the not very familiar one, turned around and spotted him.

They spoke, but Sora was too far away to hear anything coherent, and after a nudge of the head towards a different ship from the stranger, he walked away and left Axel behind.

The brunet shifted his weight from one foot to another, and looked around for any sign of his brother, but when he saw none, he decided to walk over and talk to the red head.

"Axel."

The said person looked over his shoulder, raised both eyebrows in slight surprise before fully turning around, "Sora."

The brunet stopped just short of a few feet from the red head and stared at the other in mild confusion. There was something different about Axel now, not just in the way he spoke, but in the way he looked and the way he held himself together.

It wasn't a good sign to him so far.

"Where's Roxas?" he chanced as he looked back and forth the red head and somewhere else.

There was a pause from Axel, as though a little uncertain as to how to answer, but eventually, he shrugged, "Home, I suppose."

"Oh…" that was odd; Roxas hated anything that vaguely reminded him of 'home'. So why he was there, Sora couldn't quite fathom. "Why?"

Again, the red head shrugged, looking nonchalant, "Perhaps he needed a reminder."

The brunet felt uncertain and he couldn't help but look in the direction of where his home was located. He could just barely see the tip of the chimney of his house, hidden behind hills and trees.

He looked away before any horrible memories could resurface. Something about what the red head said and how he was acting was making him feel a little tentative.

"Have…the both of you talked?" he asked hesitantly.

Axel shrugged again as he raised a hand to scratch the back of his head, looking nonchalant despite the emotions that were rolling by in waves behind his eyes, "I suppose you could call it that." he spoke and without a second thought, he started walking away.

At first, Sora had assumed that maybe Axel would be going back on board the ship, but his assumptions were immediately thrown overboard when the red head merely walked past the plank that led up onto the Black Pearl and kept moving towards another ship.

Panic rose within the brunet and he quickly called out to the red head, "Wait, where are you going?"

Axel kept walking, "Back." he spoke as he stepped onto the wooden plank that led up to a different ship that wasn't the Black Pearl.

Panic continued to rise within Sora, and he quickly made a move to follow the red head, "Back where? That's not our ship." he pointed out blatantly and stopped, not daring to take another step forward onto what may be enemy territory.

Jack always told them to stay clear of enemy ships, even though he was never one to follow his own spoken rules.

"I know," he spoke as he slowed to a stop, careful not to look directly into eyes of blue, "It's mine."

"What?" Sora spoke softly, his tone disbelieving, "So wait, you're leaving us?" he asked, feeling a small bubble of anger flutter inside of him.

What was Axel doing? What was he trying to do? Leave Roxas behind all over again? There was no way Sora would stand for that.

He might not have understood what Roxas had been feeling back then when they were younger, but he did now and making his brother go through that again was cruel, beyond cruel. It was completely heartless.

"Yes." Axel answered simply before he turned to the blond, eyes cold and completely uncaring, "I hereby renounce my position as crew man of the Black Pearl."

"You…" Sora merely stared. He couldn't believe this. This was completely unbelievable, "You can't do this!" he shouted.

"I believe I just did." Axel replied as he turned and boarded the foreign ship.

The brunet gritted his teeth, and clenched his fist.

_Pop._

"You can't do this to Roxas!" he shouted out, his voice echoing all around them.

Axel stopped just as he was about to disappear from the brunet's line of view.

Sora had been on the verge of going up onto the ship, uncaring if he was breaking the unwritten rules of being a pirate, although he'd be damn if he couldn't get a straight answer out of the red head, but before he could even get halfway up the plank, a hand reached out to him and told him to stop.

"Quit it Sora, just let him go."

The brunet stopped, his anger dissipating away to nothing, replaced with guilt, sadness, hopelessness, as he turned to his blond counterpart, "What?" he started softly.

_Don't do this Roxas._

"Let him go." he said simply as he released his brother's arm and walked off, "If he wants to leave, then let him leave."

"But Roxas--"

"I don't…" he paused, as though he was uncertain of his own conflicting feelings, "I don't care anymore. He can do whatever he wants. We're not his mother or father."

That was cruel, Axel decided, but what he was doing to Roxas was probably even more cruel, so he said nothing of it.

Sora felt saddened by his brother's actions, but did as he was told and let the red head go as he slowly followed behind and watched as Roxas tried to walk away with shoulders straight and a head held high.

_Don't do this Roxas._

He was trying so hard.

Eventually, Roxas boarded the Black Pearl and disappeared within the ship's hold, never once looking back while Sora remained rooted onto the docks, feeling as though he had lost the battle, lost the war, lost everything he ever held dear.

Once safe and alone inside the ship, the blond fell atop his bed and told himself over and over again that he didn't need Axel anymore.

Never had since he left, and now wouldn't be anytime different.

Even as he tried to convince himself, he couldn't stop silent tears from trailing down his cheeks and staining his face and pillow.

* * *

"When are we leaving?"

"When we're done with what needs to be done."

"That'll take a while then." Axel sighed as he sat on one of the chairs within the captain's cabin.

Reno glanced at his brother while his fingers paused in trying to map out their next course. He watched as his brother sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time that evening and it had only been just a while ago, two hours perhaps, that they were reunited again.

Sure they had been apart for a while, perhaps half a year or so, and he _had_ been expecting some sort of change to occur in his little brother, but he hadn't expected it to be so emotionally drastic.

"So." Reno started as he averted his eyes back down onto the map that was pinned down onto the table and continued to draw his compass and point around islands and seas, "Tell me what happened."

Axel scoffed, "Nothing happened."

"Of course nothing happened," he smirked, "That's why you're inside here with me when you could be out there talking with the others."

"Do I need to have an ulterior motive to spend time with my brother whom I haven't been with for the past how many months?" the red head retorted as he turned to leer at his brother.

"Of course not," he smirked, "But you obviously _do_ have an ulterior motive if you're not even remotely _pleased_ to see me. You've done nothing, said nothing since we were reunited."

Axel let out a frustrated growl, "Fine, tell me _dear_ brother, what have _you_ been doing while I was gone, left to fend for myself?"

The older red head paused in his work, carefully lifted the point of the compass and set it down onto the table as he looked up to look at his brother, "I've been looking for you."

Almost immediately, guilt and sorrow filled his system and Axel couldn't help but look away again.

"I've missed you Axel." he spoke softly, "You have no idea how frantic I had been since I lost you."

"You didn't seem that way when you saw me again." he spoke, his heart spiking with guilt at his choice of words.

"My crew wouldn't have wanted to see a distressed captain. _You_ wouldn't have wanted to see a distressed brother. The both of you look up to me for support and guidance." he spoke softly, letting out his thoughts and how he had been feeling during the past few months, "What good is a captain who's going through a mental breakdown and can't even hold the steer steady? What good is a brother when he can't even look after his own flesh and blood?"

Guiltily, the red head reasoned, "I know how to look after myself."

Reno sighed, "I know you do, but how would I know that when you're miles away and I'm here? How would I know how well you're faring when I'm left high and dry waiting for a sign and wondering where you are?" he started, laying out all of his insecurities for the world to see, "For all I know, you could've been still out there lost at sea, fighting for your life against marine creatures, or trying to hold yourself together while trying to protect yourself from other pirates."

"You exaggerate too much." he muttered out. He hadn't thought his disappearance would affect his brother so much.

It reminded him of someone else…

"That's what you call worrying." Reno sighed and waved a hand around, "But enough about me, what happened to you?"

"Nothing interesting." he reasoned with a slight shrug, "I was held against my will and forced to work for an opposing ship. I managed to attain some new friends while I was left to fend for myself, so I suppose that was a positive in all the negatives."

The older red head nodded as he watched the ever changing emotions behind those green eyes while the expressions remained ever neutral.

"It was foreign, but it wasn't dissimilar to being here, just a little less friendly I suppose." Axel shrugged again, "I spent most of my time watching out for you but after getting pushed around amongst other things, I kept indoors within the hold."

The older red head nodded to the new found knowledge but it wasn't what he wanted to hear. It was true that he was worried about Axel, but his little brother was completely missing the bigger picture.

What of Roxas? Was Axel withholding information?

Axel shrugged again, "Nothing much happened after that." it wasn't something he wanted to think about; even though it had been the only thing he was able to think about recently.

Reno scoffed and then smirked before he picked up his compass again, "Have I ever told you how much of a horrible liar you are?"

"Be quiet you…" he growled out as he stared at the odd and new knick knacks that were around the room. Some old, some familiar while others, weren't so much. Looks like Reno had been shopping while he was gone.

"Anything else you'd like to tell me?" the older red head asked as he spun the handle of the compass and landed the point onto another island, possibly a place to stop during their voyage.

Axel contemplated not telling Reno, but after all that his big brother had been through; he should at least owe him some amount reassurance that he hadn't been forced to go to Davy Jones' locker and back.

"I met Roxas, joined his crew after our so-called captain was killed and not two weeks later, I'm back here."

_Some_ amount of reassurance, not all.

Reno scoffed as he made a large cross over one of the islands, possibly the last stop of the voyage to perhaps restock and prepare again, "Roxas?"

"Yes, Roxas."

He hummed as he placed a hand on his chin, "I vaguely recall a Roxas from your childhood."

Axel frowned, maybe he shouldn't have told his older brother, even though it was obvious that he was lying through his teeth.

"You met him, even said hello to him and told him that maybe you'll meet him again." the red head spoke through gritted teeth.

"Oh, that Roxas?" he grinned as he played with a feathered pen, the one he had used to make a cross over his map with, "I remember him clear as day."

Axel scoffed, "Of course you do."

Reno merely continued to grin, as though he knew something that the other red head didn't. "You should talk to Roxas."

"What for." he growled out.

"That's what best friends do right? They talk, they catch up, they stick together."

"We're barely even friends anymore." the red head spoke, his tone painfully neutral despite his storming eyes.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked in an inquiring tone.

"Yes."

Reno stared at him, as though daring him to say it again, this time, all the while looking in his eyes. It didn't take long before the younger red head's resolve crumbled, "…No."

He grinned, "Then talk to him."

He sighed again, feeling tired all of a sudden. Why was Reno pushing so much? "What for."

"For closure."

"I already have it."

The older red head sighed as he got up from his seat and moved to leave the room, but not before saying one last thing to his little brother, "Do you really?"

Axel was left confused, and constantly thinking.

Did he really?

* * *

Geh…Too much Reno in one chapter. -shoos him away-

As much as I love him, I don't particularly like it when some random, sorry Reno, new character shows up and takes up half the dialogue. Or something like that. Close enough.


	16. For Closure

If you are tuning into this NEW chapter, and by new, I mean NEW UPDATE, I suggest that you go on ahead and back-track and read the whole damn thing again.

Ok, maybe the first few chapters or so are sort of relatively old, but I've added a completely new plot, and a deeper storyline, so really, I think that if you decide to start off from here, you'll be completely confused as hell. Lawls.

So yah, off you go! Back to the beginning for you! Toorah!

Look, look! New title and summary too!! Huzzah!

* * *

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"I need to talk to Roxas."

Sora frowned, not standing back from his position in front of the plank that led back onto the docks of Tortuga, "He hasn't been in the right mood as of late."

_And you're the reason for it._

The red head kept his glance leveled with the brunet, he wouldn't back down. He had one last item on his list of things to do left, and this was it, "I _need_ to talk to Roxas." he spoke slowly and firmly.

Sora continued to frown, he wasn't going to let Axel have his way when he left his brother broken and lost, not just once but twice now, "And I'll tell you again, he's not in the right mood to talk." he grated out, "And you know why."

"Look Sora, I just need to speak with Roxas for a short moment." he could feel his temper rising. He had never been one with patience, but he exercised it regularly. It took a lot to actually get him off, but when he _did_ get off, it was a bit of an explosive sight to see.

"No." the brunet spoke again, resolute in his choice of not letting the red head pass, "Why should I let you talk to Roxas when, in the end, you're just going to leave him again like you did all those years ago."

That hit a fine nerve, "Look, this isn't just for me, this is for Roxas too."

"How so." he started, his tone completely disbelieving.

"This is for closure."

Sora had been on the verge of telling the red head to bugger right off when a hand touched his shoulder and gently pulled him to the side.

"Let him pass Sora."

"What?" he almost screamed out.

"If this is for closure, it'll perhaps do both him and Roxas some good." the silver haired boy reason, "This way, they can finally let go."

"But--"

"And if things go bad, well, think of it this way," he shrugged, "Once we're out of these ports, we can shoot his ship down." he suggested with a smirk upon his face, one which Axel wasn't quite fond of as of this moment.

Sora wouldn't go so far as that, he'd probably just close his eyes while Riku held the burning timber to light the cannon.

He scoffed, completely unhappy with the situation as he unwillingly stepped to the side and allowed the red head passage onto the ship, "Fine, but if I hear anything off, I'll shoot you without a passing thought." he threatened as Axel stepped onto the ship and walked past the brunet and silver haired boy without a second glance and disappeared into the hold.

In truth, he hadn't even planned to go this far, but now that he had, there was no turning back. All he had to do now was talk to Roxas, scream and shout a little, and let this whole conversation pass over their heads as though it never existed and they'd be gone out of each others' lives as though they were never there.

At least, Axel had sort of hoped it'd go that way. It would've made everything that much more easier if it did. That was what he thought would happen anyway.

Well, he'd just have to find out for himself, wouldn't he?

Down the darkened steps he walked, he found it a little hard to assume where he was, but with the light of the crescent moon shining just dimly from the opened hatch that led into the ship's hold, he managed to just barely make out his surroundings.

But even then, he still had a while to go before he was able to find Roxas, who knew where the blond could be hiding himself in here.

With determination, he took a step forward and dared to walk away from the moon's light and into the darkness.

As he walked, he looked around him. Sometimes, he'd be able to catch just little dots of moonlight from the cross hatches that hung above his head and obvious faults in timber that need fixing but nobody ever got around to.

Eventually, he came upon another set of stairs and had to tread carefully or lest he lose his footing and end up cracking his skull open and bleed a pretty mess on the floor before he even got a chance to open his mouth and speak to Roxas.

No, he wouldn't have that. If this wasn't for Roxas, then this was for himself. He needed this talk. He _needed_ to talk.

Maybe scream and shout if he got desperate enough.

It was true that he and Roxas had shared a fair amount of time together when they were children, but now, years later, it was so much more different and just so much harder.

With grudges and scorned hearts, it seemed as though they were only going to end up running in constant circles had they decided to stay together without talking to each other about it. But at least after this, they can finally decide what to do after that.

Whether it be to form a sort of neutral alliance with one another, or stay at bitter enemies till the very end.

Hopefully the former rather than the latter. He had always hated killing, but if he didn't have a choice, then so be it. He'd spill blood if it meant that he would live and save his friends and family from certain death, even at the expense of another.

His foot settled on the very last step and the floor creaked beneath his weight.

He heard something shift somewhere, but he hadn't tuned his senses well enough to ascertain where it came from.

He wasn't sure if he wanted to speak yet and he decided to keep himself hidden. Since the moonlight had died and couldn't reach where he was, much too deep into the ship to go that far, he was considered fairly safe.

The only way one could get anywhere, especially so far down into the ship, was with a candle or some lights, but it was obvious that whoever was down here didn't want any lights and merely wanted to stay shrouded in shadows.

He stepped forward, holding his breath as he did so.

His eyes glanced around for any sign of life, but all he saw was darkness.

"What do you want." a voice spoke, causing Axel to stop walking and stop breathing all together.

Axel stood still as his eyes glanced back and forth for the source of the voice, but he felt as though he was completely blind folded. He saw nothing.

It was a while before the voice spoke again, "I can see you. My eyes have better adjusted to the darkness than yours have Axel." he spoke, sounding snide and annoyed at the same time.

"We need to talk." the red head spoke as he turned his head to the voice, and knew he might just be a little off mark.

"What of?" he asked, sounding exasperated and tired, "I've spoken enough, and so have you. What more do we need to talk about?"

It was true, he had spoken enough, but Axel didn't feel as though it _was_ enough. It felt off, as though their conversation before was incomplete. He needed more closure.

"First of all…" the red head started, feeling confident despite that he was completely unsure about how he really felt, "I just want to apologize for doing what I did when I chose to leave." he wasn't sure why he was apologizing for something that happened years ago, but it felt like the right place to start, "I was only a child, and so were you."

A scoff, "You left anyway."

"I had nothing holding me back. I did what I did because I thought it was right." and in truth, it _did_ feel right, until he felt something missing inside of him.

"Nothing was holding you back?" he asked incredulously, his tone bordering on anger and disbelief. "_Nothing_, was holding you back?!" what was he then? Nothing?

"My mother and father never cared much for me." he reasoned with a slight shrug.

"What about me?!" Roxas suddenly shouted, the sound of something falling over and landing hard on the floor sounded, "You were my _only_ friend!"

Axel snapped, "You had loving parents! Who am I to tear you away from a family that loves you?!" the red head retorted, and it was only now that he realized that his sight was getting better and he could just barely see ahead of him and a very faint outline of what might just be the blond.

"And what good it did too!" he almost laughed, "At least had I gone with you, I wouldn't have had to witness the death of my parents!!" Roxas shouted back, his breath ragged from all the shouting.

"At least you had the chance to be with parents who cared for you and would do _anything_ to protect you!" Axel argued back, "Knowing my parents, they would've thrown me out so the pirates would take my life instead of theirs!" he was growing tired of this, but at least they were going somewhere. This was at least a step to somewhere.

Either good or bad, he wasn't sure yet.

The blond let out a frustrated huff as he turned and walked away, deeper into the shadows, furtherer than what Axel was capable of seeing right now.

"We haven't finished talking yet." the red head called out as he made an attempt to follow the blond only to end up kicking various things while fumbling around in the darkness.

"We're not even talking!" the blond retorted and the red head made a move to follow the voice, "We're shouting!"

"At least we're getting somewhere!" Axel reasoned as he continued to stumble in the dark and kicking random things along the way and bruising his toes.

"Somewhere?" Roxas laughed, "And where would that be?" as if they were getting anywhere. They were going nowhere at this rate.

"Roxas! Stop walking away from me!" the red head called out as he grabbed onto the pole which he saw at the very last second but had ended up wholly bumped into anyway.

"Why? Don't _you_ enjoy that feeling when someone is walking away from you? Or in your case, running away?" the blond retorted, his voice growing more and more distant with each step away he took.

"Roxas!" the red head shouted, his tone exasperated, "I'm sorry!"

He couldn't hear footsteps anymore. He couldn't hear _anything_ anymore other than his own heartbeat and his own breathing.

"I'm sorry, alright?" he called out again, feeling exasperated, with himself and the way things were going for the both of them. His eyes looked ahead of him for the blond, but he couldn't see him. He was too far.

He felt tired, and hopeless and just so…drained of everything that had been going on.

He felt so useless.

Axel tried again, his tone soft, filled with regret, guilt, completely genuine, "I'm sorry for leaving you." he spoke as his gaze fell to the ground.

He couldn't hear anything, and for a moment, he contemplated whether he had gone deaf.

But a voice spoke otherwise. Broken and frail.

"At least now you have some sort of idea as to how I felt back then."

Axel sighed, quiet, soft and drained of energy, "I know…and…I'm sorry…"

There was a shift somewhere, ahead of him, but it was too far away.

"…For what it's worth…I'm sorry too…" Roxas spoke one last time before he began to walk away.

The red head looked up, only to see a faint outline of the blond walking away with uneven steps, shoulders low and a head defeated.

This wasn't how Axel wanted this to end. He hadn't planned to fail, he hadn't planned to lose the battle, lose the war. But in the end, he did anyway. Not just him, but Roxas too.

So much for closure…

* * *

-has no comment what so ever-

I mean, woah, talk was intense…

Talk about angst!!


	17. Running Away

Woah? Another new update from this old story? Wowzers.

* * *

Nobody bothered with him. They didn't dare. Not with his silence. It was hard to tell what he was thinking behind those eyes with constantly shifting emotions.

"Raise all anchors!" a voice shouted, and the command was obeyed.

He made no movement as to acknowledge that he had heard the words that were shouted, he merely stood by the wooden rails and stared out at the open sea, ready to voyage and start a new venture.

"Release the sails!"

His fingers twitched, feeling the need to obey, but he stood still, eyes focused on the rolling waves, the ever-rising sun and the yellow skies turning blue.

"Back to your posts men! We're ready to depart!"

They were moving, sailing away, he could feel they slight sway of the ship rolling back and forth along with the waves, but they held steady.

"Ship on the port side!!" a voice called out from up above.

He made no move to acknowledge what he heard as his eyes remained unfocused on the waters beneath them.

"Leave them!" a voice, the same one that called out orders from before, shouted, "They can't attack us while in neutral waters."

"But captain--"

"I said leave them!"

And unwillingly, they all obeyed, all the while feeling anxious and frustrated. They should've all seen it coming, it wasn't the first time ships have battled near the coast of Tortuga and lost.

He didn't care, didn't care if he ended up being blasted off the ship and ended up drowning. At least then, all his troubles would be washed away and he wouldn't have had to worry anymore. He wouldn't have to think anymore.

Not about Roxas.

So many regrets in such a short lifetime. So many burdens weighed down his shoulders.

Never again will he be the person who once walked without anything holding him down, without anything holding him back. Never again will be walk with shoulders straight and a head held high.

No, he never walked. He always ran.

_Isn't that right Roxas?_

"--el!!"

He could hear someone calling out to him, but the sounds of the sails fluttering in the wind and the sounds of the waves crashing up against the sides of the ship told him it was merely his imagination.

Nobody was calling out to him.

Roxas wasn't calling out to him.

"-xel!!"

He could hear it again, that same voice, so distant yet near enough to be heard. He heard it again, and again, and again until eventually, he forced his eyes to look away from the waters and there, not even a nautical mile away, was the Black Pearl.

"Axel!!" a voice called out to him.

He heard it again, the same voice, a voice so familiar that Axel found himself looking around so frantically that he almost caused himself whiplash until his green eyes caught a motion from another ship and his eyes averted to a blond who stood on the main mast looking dangerously out in the open and ready to fall over.

"Roxas!!" he shouted out, his hands shooting out to hold onto the railings, unable to further express his worry for the blond.

_Don't fall._

There was a pause, and Axel could've sworn that time stood still for the both of them.

"Roxas!" he shouted out again, "What're you do--"

"I don't hate you!!" the blond called out, one hand holding onto the rope for support while the other cupped the side of his mouth, an attempt to further amplify his voice.

Axel stared with widened eyes at Roxas, his fingers turning white from the constant pressure placed on the railings.

Roxas was too far, he needed to get closer, but how?

"Get off the mast!" he shouted out, bypassing what the blond said, "You're going to fall!!" and he wouldn't be there to catch him if he did.

Roxas ignored his words, just as he, in turn, had previous ignored his, "I mean what I said!" he called out again, "I don't hate you!!"

He wasn't listening. Why wasn't Roxas listening?

Standing so high up when a stray gust of wind could easily push him off and send him plummeting down to his death.

Axel gritted his teeth together as he watched with mixed emotions of fear and frustration at his childhood friend who didn't care of the dangers that surrounded him.

He could fall at any minute, but what could he do to make sure he didn't?

With determination, the red head quickly got up onto the railings, with shaky legs from lack of support, and stared at the ship some ways away from him.

Someone shouted out to him, "Axel! What in the world are you doing?!"

He wasn't listening. His goal was ahead of him, and if he turned back now, he'd surely regret it.

With clenched fists and a steel heart, he dived in head first.

"Man overboard!" someone called out, "Man overboard!!"

"Oh bu--Did Axel just jump ship?!" Reno cried out, completely disbelieving as to what his little brother just did even though he already knew in his heart that Axel would do it without a second thought.

Axel was like that sometimes. Never thinking before jumping right in.

_If you've got a dream, don't wait. Act._

The red head resurfaced from the blue waters with a slight gasp of air and searched around to gather back his bearings.

He spotted the familiar black ship, one that wasn't his own, and swam towards it, fighting against the waves and drawing closer and closer.

"Axel!!" someone called out to him, but the said person didn't turn back. He needed to go straight ahead, go forward, not backwards.

"Axel!!" the same voice shouted out, "You're going to kill yourself!"

No he wouldn't, and even if he did, he'd have no regrets. This was his goal, he'd keep going, even after death, to achieve it.

Eventually, his fingers touched the dark painted woods of the Black Pearl and he swam along side it, looking for a way to get up, all the while fighting against the tides that constantly tried to push him back and pull him under.

His fingers grabbed hold of a wood that jutted out the side of the ship, and with determination, he pulled himself up and crawled upwards towards his goal.

He needed this, he _wanted_ to do this.

_I'm sorry Reno, but…_

His arms were stretching, his muscles working on overtime to help him get closer to the end. His legs were starting to shake, his breath ragged and short.

Just a bit further.

_You'd do the same if you were in my place._

He breathed in deeply as he looked up, at the opening that led to rest and safety and pushed onward. As he pulled his leg up, and pushed his other leg down, he felt himself slipping away.

But before he ended up having to start all over again from the bottom up, a hand gripped onto his arm and helped him.

"Axel."

He couldn't breath, even though his lungs were fighting so hard to keep breathing. His heart raced, and he felt so drained and tired. But never in his life had he felt so accomplished.

Not since…

"Roxas."

This had been his goal, he hadn't known when that goal appeared or how long it had been waiting to be noticed, but it was only recently that he realized it. But what he didn't know was that this was Roxas' goal too.

They both needed each other. To help each other along the way. To get to their goals at the very end.

He smiled, his legs shaky, his hair limp and wet, his heart racing like there was no tomorrow, "Roxas."

"I can't believe you did that." the blond spoke incredulously,

He could hear the hidden tone of happiness from behind it.

Bypassing what the blond said, he merely grinned as he stared into eyes of blue, "I don't hate you either." he spoke breathlessly as he continued to hold onto Roxas like a life line, "I never did."

Blue eyes smiled.

A far out voice shouted to them, "Axel! Get your butt back over here!!"

The said person merely laughed and gave a wave back, "I'll see you some other time Reno!" he called out as he continued his way upwards until he reached the deck where Roxas stood.

"Axel!" Reno called out, abandoning his post by the steering and stomped his way over to where the younger red head had stood barely even a moment ago, "I swear to Davy Jones, if you don't get your butt back here right now I'll--Ah forget it…" he gave up as he rolled his eyes and returned the wave with a sort of shooing motion. "You're more trouble than you're worth anyway!"

The younger red head laughed, his overused muscles rippling with each intake of breath, "I'll miss you too!!"

Eventually, green eyes watched as the older red head made his way back to the steering and took back his position from another crew member who kept the ship steady.

Soon, both ships were veering off and sailing in different directions.

Axel watched with eyes that continued to ripple with emotion, he was going to miss Reno, but it wasn't as though he wouldn't see him ever again.

They would reunite again, one day, in some far off distant future. It could be tomorrow, or the next day, in a few months or perhaps even years. But they would return again, to the place they once called home and be together as brothers once again.

But for now, he had Roxas, and this was his home.

He shook, and it was obvious that he was shaking with the way his shoulders jittered and move and his breath shuddered. Roxas turned to the red head, "Are you cold?"

Axe shook his head, a smile on his face, his eyes focused on the ship that was sailing away. He wasn't cold. "No."

He had never felt warmer in his life.

This was home.

He could feel it. Beating in his heart.

This was going to be a new adventure, and he was going to start it with Roxas along side him.

"Don't lie to me, I know you're cold." the blond chastised as he made a move to drag the red head away, "Come on."

Axel made no move to protest as he followed after Roxas, his heart fluttered and ushered him along.

They were running away together.

* * *

Well…not much in the sense of romance, but what the heck ever. I'm happy with it now. At least…

This last chapter was a bit on the short side, but hey, I think it went pretty good anyways. Hoorahhh.


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